The Shell Which Wanted a Soul
by Mikado's Ink
Summary: When Wolf of K-unit gets hit in the knee by a bullet,he plans to waste his leave away on booze,boobs and bullying his teammates.Unfortunately,his plans keel over and fall flat unconscious in front of his eyes as he is saddled with an overly familiar, emotionally wrecked,hellish blonde responsibility who is intent on bringing out the worst and best in him. Discontinued.
1. Prologue

"I understand."

And he meant it. In fact; he had been waiting for this day. Waiting for Jack to snap and run away as fast as humanly possible. She had taken longer than he had expected but her brain had been able to process it in the end. Jack had finally understood which Alex had worked out years ago, that living with him made the future look dim and bleak. It looked like a black hole, swallowing up everyone who dared to get near.

These were all facts. Blunt (Oh the irony!), insensitive facts that didn't make it any easier.

Alex pushed his shaggy bangs out of his eyes, trying desperately to ignore the steadily increasing tightness in his chest. Jack observed him wearily, her face etched into exhausted lines. She looked as if she had already passed through the emotional stage numerous times and did not have the energy left to continue doing so.

"Alex…Alex, I'm sorry. I just…I just don't know anything anymore! I don't want to leave you here in this condition-."

"But you want to live your life-happy and satisfied, not worrying about a kid who you fear won't turn up half the time," Alex finished for her, hitting home.

Jack looked incredibly hurt but remained silent. That silence killed Alex. Killed the little seven year old him who was hoping that in spite of everything, Jack still cared a teeny tiny bit about him, the older,_ spy _Alex unable to squelch the goddamn hope completely. _She_ had done it without even saying anything.

Trying, and failing, to suppress his emotions, Alex nodded mutely. His face was perfectly impassive, every inch the spy who was efficient in cutting off the thread connecting the heart to the face.

That didn't mean the heart wasn't feeling though.

"Please, if you have spare time on your hands, visit me and Kyle. We'd be looking forward to it," Jack whispered, looking as if she was climbing into the 'dark and despair' corner again.

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot. Congratulations on your marriage Jack. I hope you have a good time," Alex congratulated with no warmth present in his tone. Jack's face tightened further but she nodded hurriedly and almost ran to the door.

Seeing her walking away, the enormity of the situation crashed down on him with full force.

She was _going,_ the only one who had tucked him in bed at night, the only one who who'd scolded him for leaving the toilet seat up, the only one who had screamed at him for getting hurt, the only one who would hug him when he had a nightmare, the only one who would put a hand on his forehead to check if he had a fever…the _only _one who'd _been there_ for him. And now, she too was going – _running _– away, the uncertainty and tension and the damn _hopelessness _getting too much, even for her. She was human after all. Alex wanted to blame her with every fiber in his body but he couldn't goad himself enough to do it. He _understood _goddamit, no matter how much he didn't want to.

It did not, however, stop him from feeling. Did not help at all that beneath the calm, calculating and detached persona Mi6 had forced him into, he was still a fourteen year old. Despite experiencing life more than people five times his age, he was _still _a fucking fourteen year old.

_She's going; Alex thought desperately, she's leaving me all alone. She's going, she's going, she's going-_

The dam that had been holding his emotions at bay seemed to crumble and he found his lips moving as if on their own record to whisper-

"Jackie?"

He stared at her back limply, his eyes frightened and desolate. He didn't care that he sounded forlorn and _just _like a scared child. He didn't care that he had not called Jack with that name for over eight years, that too when he had suffered from the occasional nightmare and had run up to her room crying," Jackie! Jackie!" He had been too embarrassed to mention it in the mornings and Jack had, after a few giggles at his expense, let it go.

Jack froze dead on her feet, her body trembling with some suppressed emotion. Soon, however, her determination seemed to fail and Alex could hear deep, agony filled sobs racking through her body. Alex moved to comfort her but she didn't give him the chance. With surprising speed, she wrenched the door open and ran outside into the night, leaving Alex frozen in his place, hands still extended out to comfort her.

_"Clowns wear a face that's painted intentionally on them so they appear to be happy or sad. What kind of mask are you wearing today?"- Anonymous_


	2. The World is Too Small

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider. **

**Chapter 1 **

**The World is too Small**

Wolf was not happy. And when he wasn't happy, he tended to make others unhappy. Mrs. Jones, however, seemed to be an exception and he certainly wasn't happy about that either.

"Why is this kid late?" Wolf growled as he sat perfectly still in his uncomfortable hard chair. Discipline and punctuality had been the first two things drilled inside his head in SAS and violating one of them didn't help at all regarding the matters of one…Alex Rimer?Riddle? Ah yes, Rider.

Mrs. Jones answered steadily but was it his imagination or had her left eyebrow shifted a little bit?

"I'm sure Alex will be here any minute. After all, it has been only a few minutes past five, two minutes and twenty seven seconds to be exact."

Wolf nodded distractedly, trying to ignore the slight twitch in his fingers. They undoubtedly wanted to wrap themselves around the thin, unguarded neck floating right in front of him and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze until-

"I hope you are feeling alright Mr. Sans Luca?" The irritatingly neutral voice asked him and Wolf quickly made to remove the manic grin he had been shooting at…her neck.

Wolf coughed to hide his amusement and replied, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Just remembered a rather funny moment."

Mrs. Jones gave him a wary look, nodded stiffly and went back to reading some nifty looking papers. With a considerably lighter mood and periodic twitching of the lips, Wolf looked down on his lap.

And scowled.

Heavily.

With his thought back on the topic that had made him unhappy in the first place, Wolf scanned through the contents of the _very informative_ file on You Know Who, barely restraining a snort. The file, as he had mentioned before, left no doubt in the reader's mind about the particular's person life. It contained the basic facts like age, sex, height, eye color (Did they really think he was interested in knowing if the subject's eye color was 'a very pleasant ocean blue'?), date of birth blah, blah, blah with a note at the foot of the sheet exclaiming 'further information is classified.' No background. No medical records. No nothing.

_Amazing_, Wolf thought sarcastically, _Feels like I've known him all my life._

He didn't know why Mi6 were saddling him with a kid. No, wait. Maybe he did. He was momentarily useless, as anyone with a bullet wound to the knee would be, and hence, James San Luca became the target. A boring desk job. No important uses in the near future. The perfect catch.

Their reasoning, Wolf admitted, was perfectly logical and on the on the flip side, completely bonkers and mad. Anybody who knew Wolf respected and feared him (Eagle not counted). He was SAS for crying out loud. All the great what-it-takes-to-be-a-soldier-speeches he'd heard didn't state _anywhere _that 'a good soldier is also an efficient nanny.' And he certainly didn't possess a single, functioning nanny-ish bone in his body. It was practically marring every possible rule there was that upheld his intimidating, fierce reputation! Wolf cringed when he thought that. No, he was not that shallow. It was just that he…..he did not know _how._

_There you go. That wasn't that hard now was it?_

He had finally admitted that he was physically, mentally and spiritually lacking or had no talent whatsoever in the motherly-fatherly department, his severely wounded and howling ego be damned (he was not called brave and foolish for nothing). He did not know how to take care of a child. And he did not want to, hard as it sounded. Babysitting Eagle was punishment enough in itself.

That wasn't where Wolf's misery ended no, it didn't. He was supposed to become the nanny of a _teenager._

A creature even the greatest philosophers and revolutionaries of all times weren't able to comprehend. Bewildering mood swings. Bottomless pits of a stomach. _Hormones._

Whimpering in the corner of his mind where it was alright to 'cry and whimper like a damsel in distress,' Wolf closed his eyes in pure agony. His mind, which was extremely manly mind you, hadn't hosted such disgusting thoughts before. It was _now,_ when pigs were flying, that his brain had decided to resurrect this _thing_, this really embarrassing secret that he would take to his grave and beyond, as a last option for defense.

Now he was being _dramatic, _which was a word which practically didn't _exist_ in his dictionary. The theory that the world was going to end didn't sound so ridiculous now. And he was doing it _again._

It was that goddamn fate. He was sure of it. He was absolutely sure that Fate, sitting on its golden throne somewhere, was dusting his hands and muttering smugly, "I just kick the best arse _ever._"

He was _also _sure that Eagle and Fox were experiencing there own particular Golden Ages, probably discussing how God had been never this kind, how they were eternally grateful to him for letting them experience Wolf's downfall on live television with a bucket of buttered popcorn in reach no less-

"Mrs. Jones ?" a quiet voice penetrated through his theatrical lamenting and Wolf, startled, turned around to reprimand the bloke who had had the nerve to sneak up behind _him_ when his thoughts came screeching to a halt.

What the-?

"Cub?"

"Wolf?" Cub's face, which looked smaller than he remembered, betrayed the highest shock of level, "What the hell? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question!"

Why was he meeting the fifth, missing member of K- Unit here? What was _he_ doing here anyway? This was definitely no place for kids!

He voiced the last thought out loud and got unexpected results. Cub, who had been regarding him with calculating eyes, froze and his expression turned blank. It happened in a startlingly short period of time. Cub's presence, which had been quiet but obvious before( due to shock probably) , closed off, every part of his body drawing back into itself, a stance which was so small, so insignificant that Wolf marveled at the beauty of it. Nobody would be able to notice him in a group, even if they tried. He had always known Cub to be quiet but what was this? It looked like he was desperate for people to _not _notice him.

"And so is SAS," Cub replied, his tone emotionless but holding a certain edge of something, something which sounded suspiciously like bitterness. Ignoring Wolf completely now, Cub sat down in the equally hard chair next to him and asked Mrs. Jones in a very polite and very _dead _tone, "Good morning Mrs. Jones."

* * *

><p><em>Ah<em>

Mrs. Jones sighed inwardly as she looked at the boy in front of her. It had been too good to last after all. When Alex had seen the man, the angry, mutinous boy she wistfully remembered had slammed back. However, now it was back to talking to the emotionless, empty container.

_It is your fault after all._

Mrs. Jones sighed again. Sometimes, when she was alone in her apartment, the leftovers of _the_ emotion guilt would stir and get stuck in her throat. Alex, all the crimes she had committed, Alex and …..Alex. Her other actions, while inexcusable, were reasonable as they were done for the safety and betterment of the country. Alex….she didn't know. He was just so small and they had destroyed his life….

It did not matter. The job she had chosen did not allow these silly things to come to life and she shouldn't really pretend to posses a conscience when she didn't. Her morality had been shredded through years ago and the pieces too, were, slowly dissolving. And the work done by Alex was helping Britain wasn't it? If Alex had not done what he did, then millions of kids would have been already dead. One life, compared to the millions others, was excusable. The Greater good was, really, more important.

"Good morning Alex, I Hope you are well?" asked calmly as she shuffled the documents in front of her. Mr. Sans Luca had already signed the ones regarding the boy. This had to be done carefully…..for the man at least. Alex already knew. She didn't want Mr. Sans Luca, however, to have some kind of breakdown in lieu of surprise. Alan Blunt had taught her the art of manipulation and she did it well. She was not the deputy head of Mi6 for nothing. Even if something went wrong and her plan didn't work…well, it wouldn't matter. The man and the boy wouldn't really have any choice, now would they?

_What have you become?_

"Never been better."

There it was again! Mrs. Jones was rarely unnerved but Alex rider seemed to be an exception to most of the laws of the universe. The words of Alex replies were meant to be sarcastic, grim or downright raging but somehow…they weren't.

His tone or expression held no bite _at all. _

It was practically dead. That Jack…must have been really frightened to act like this. As far as she knew, the girl had not loved anything more than Alex. She had fought tooth and nail against Alan passionately because the boy was the only one she had whom she could lose. But now, when she had more, when she had found love, she had begun to see how Sabrina Pleasure had seen it. Dark, dangerous and evil.

She had seen how it would affect the life she starved for and had calculated the only solution: escape.

Alan had been a little irked by Alex's behavior as it was very similar to his but had been overall, immensely pleased. The boy's subservient personality worked perfectly to his advantage. Missions would now progress without a hitch.

_What about you?_

She looked up to meet Alex's eyes, her tone wry, "I think you know why Mr. Sans Luca is here, do you not? It wasn't very difficult," here she looked pointedly at the now awfully confused man. These soldiers, were they just all brawn? Thought with their heart didn't they?

James San Luca couldn't be _more_ different from a spy. With what she had surmised about him during the brief time he had been sitting here fidgeting anxiously, he appeared to be entirely wrong for the job. His situation was to their advantage, yes, but it was like trying your hardest to control the flame an when it had finally dwindled, sending it off to live with kerosene. It was very risky.

The soldier…..how would you say this? The humanity inside him, though not as developed as the normal civilians, would prompt him to help Alex away from the thick, strong net that had been wrapped around the boy. He would do it, not out of concern or worry, there certainly seemed to be no love lost between them, but out of a sense of duty. A situation Mi6 could not _afford _to risk. He was their best agent and he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

That had been what Alan had said. He had pointed out the pros and cons, where the cons far outweighed the former. Pairing these two up would be asking for trouble. It would have landed them into a big messy mess. Court martial, military interference and whatnot. He had chosen a senior spy, a man who was busy but would have time enough to show Alex where he was going to live. Alex would be entirely in reach and agent Coulby wouldn't question anything. It had been absolutely perfect.

_He's just a child Tulip_, her mother had spoken in her mind then, as she plaited a little Tulip's hair, sitting on the porch.

Mrs. Jones regarded Alex with a hardly noticeable softened expression. Slowly planning the future of the conversation, she began to explain.

She remembered the boy, the angry boy who would try to defy every possible word that came out of Alan Blunt's mouth, eyes blazing with emotion. She had fought for the man for a reason and she hope she wouldn't regret it. Her helping capacity had been exhausted and would likely be never used again, even if she_ did_ have a soft spot for this boy. She had seen the civilians walking about happily with not a care in the world. She had felt a startlingly big amount of jealousy then and knew some of the agents under her shared her opinion. She hoped that the boy would be able to be like that, however short the time.

_Liven up the boy a little, wouldn't you? Life without the real Alex is boring._

**The Jibber Jabber Jitter corner!**

**I've always felt that just writing author notes was a little dull, no offence to anyone who does. My mind has gone creative and this is what I've come up with. Welcome!**

**Now, on to the main points that need to be discussed.**

**I loved the reviews! I've always heard the fan fiction authors raving about them and I have now personally felt the real deal. Please review. As much as you want. Tell me what you really mean and don't hesitate. I will accept everything. Flames, constructive criticism, praise (I am a girl after all). I too am just a writer exploring the world of words, thoughts and expressions and I need all the guidance I can get, no matter how harsh it is. I just want to learn from each and every one of you. Learning how to write is a major reason as to why I have joined fan fiction.**

**Secondly, the update date will not be periodic. I apologize but having a deadline on my head wouldn't really enhance my abilities now would they? However, the time period in between would be brief. I can't keep away from writing for long. This update was late because final exams had me bound tightly by the thickest rope I have ever seen. Now they are over, well….Hurray! Experience the pleasure of super sonic ninja fast updates!**

**Thirdly, my fan fiction is not action .I love Alex rider books and I've read each while stuffing my face with anything that was edible or biting my nail at lightning fast speed. But…..action and stunts is not really my forte. I would try to add a few thrilling experiences here and there but that would be my limit. This story has a plot, trust me but it deals with the beauty of human emotions. A human is a very strange phenomenon. I have never seen anything quite like it. I would try my best to prepare a thesis on the working of the intricacies of this creature and present my findings to you.**

**Anything else? Hmm…Oh yes. No Sabrina and Alex love. I love her but _not_ with Alex. It could be partly the reason that I am an extremely jealous and conniving bitch but also the reason that I have no space for romance in here. I am sucker for romance but in this fic? Naah….it'll become like some kind of overemotional, exaggerated soap opera.**

**Thank you for listening to the ramblings. I am extremely grateful. My family is probably wondering how you have done it.**

**Stay Tuned,**

**Mikado's Ink**


	3. The Little,Big Boy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider and anything I have mentioned inside which happens to exist in real life. **

**Chapter 2**

**The Little, Big Boy**

Tapping a stiff, irritated finger against the rough edges of a book proclaiming 'The Schaum's Outline of Continuum Mechanics,' the man in question diligently read. Or more appropriately, _tried_ to read as another man, with quite a tall stature, paced around in front of him.

_Which line was it again?_ Fox growled in his head as he scanned the painfully small text, ignoring the worried, 'what ifs' and 'would they be alrights' being waved around in the air_, here it is! Thank god, I was a little lost there. Now, where were we? Ah, yes. The-_

"Wolf should be in the headquarters by now. The kid should be there too. I hope Wolf doesn't do anything rash-

"Arghh!"Fox roared and with all the strength he could muster, threw the _dinosaur_ he was holding in his hands at Eagle. He was hoping it would hurt_. A lot_. And seeing the size of the thing, it was guaranteed.

"Oww!"Eagle screeched as the book hit him on the left shoulder. Massaging it slowly, he threw Fox a venomous look, "What the hell! What was that for?"

Smirking, Fox slumped back into the chair in satisfaction, "To make myself feel better. And shut you up. Guess that didn't work though."

Furious, Eagle opened his mouth to retort when his eyes fell on the fat book lying in front of him, dead. Distracted, he bend down and picked it up. The title was a long one and Eagle _understandably_ took a few minutes to figure out what it meant. His expression morphed to one of disgust and horror when it slowly dawned on him, "What the fuck are you reading?"

He held the book by the tips of his thumb and forefinger, as if it had cooties. Fox rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Why? Have you never seen a book before? Figures. It's a mystery novel, you moron." Fox had the air of one very sure of himself.

The other man looked on in confusion but slowly, a smug smile broke out, "Oh, really?"

Fox looked at him suspiciously, "What?"

Eagle couldn't control it anymore. He collapsed to the floor and rolled around, howling like a banshee.

Fox tried to wait patiently. He was hoping to gain an up on the other man by acting mature and _Snake_. It didn't work. Ticked off, he growled and sprang on to him.

"Hahahaha-whaa-!"Eagle cried out startled as Fox jumped on top of him, straddling him to the carpeted floor, "Hey! Fox! What the fuck? Get off me!"

Fox narrowed his eyes, grabbed Eagle's collar and shook him good a few times, "Stop laughing."

Angered, Eagle glared at Fox and said, "Why? Isn't it considered a normal, human reaction to laugh when one thinks something is funny?"

Fox growled again, "Stop acting smart, too"

"I am not acting smart. I am smart."

"Yeah, right."

"I am serious!"

"Uh-huh."

"You!" Eagle was equally ticked off now, "At least I can read! Tell me now, Ben Daniels, why is a mystery novel explaining the theory of…something I wouldn't be caught dead reading?"

"Huh?"Fox asked confused. Wrenching the book out of Eagle's hands, he squinted his eyes at the title. Then, slowly, his eyes widened, his expression eerily similar to Eagle's.

Shocked, he scrambled back and threw the book at Eagle's chest, "What is this?"

Eagle nodded sagely, smirking, "A mystery novel apparently."

An all-out brawl soon erupted, one man fighting to hide his embarrassment and save his honor while the other fought for the exact opposite. However, the fight distracted them from all the 'fretting', being a perfect outlet for the worry and frustration. Because, really, it was Wolf they were talking about. There was_ every_ reason to worry.

They were creating quite a ruckus. Pillows were flying everywhere and the loud, irritating voices refused to disappear from the face of the earth, as was willed by someone. With a roar of his own, the other man sprang into the middle of it and later, after a bout of more yelling, emerged victorious. With Eagle's hair held tightly in one fist and Fox's ear in the other, Snake dragged both of them to the nearest sofa, squeaks and yelps of pain following suit.

"Shut the hell up!" he bellowed and shoved them into the sofa, a pulse beating dangerously in his neck, "Would you two shut up? I've had enough. You will stay quiet and open your mouth when I say so," the usually calm, reassuring tone of the unit's healer had turned low and angry, "You will not move an inch from your current position and _keep your hands to yourself._ Is that clear?"

Too scared to speak, both men nodded quietly. Snake was in one of his rare moods which indicated he too, was stressed about something.

All of their worries were probably related.

Snake leaned back into the wall and place his hands on his low hanging, faded jeans, held up by the support of a mere wide, black belt. All of the anger drained out of him and sighing, he adjusted the wire-rimmed glasses on the ridge of his nose, "You guys…..I know you're tense. What with the new problem of a kid. But…don't fight alright?" his voice softened, "I know it helps but you two can be real pains, even more so then normal."

Snake grinned as outraged voices followed him to the kitchen, from where he grabbed an apple and bit into it, calling over his shoulder, "Put the book back where you took it from, Ben. It's good for a little bed-time reading and one of my favorites."

* * *

><p>Wolf wrenched the door open forcefully and jerked his head inside, signaling Alex to step ahead, his hold on the handle looking painfully tight.<p>

The corridor was dark, with dim, colored lights flickering above scattered doors. Wolf didn't have one but the neighbor's door did, a small bulb which cast everything nearby in a rose colored haze. The rays washed gently on Wolf's darkly polished door, probably ebony, giving off a very pleasant and homely aura. Surprisingly, there were no 'keep off' signs. Alex was ashamed to admit it but he had been expecting one.

Shrugging mentally, Alex brushed past Wolf. In spite of standing at 5'7, the man towered over him. Frankly, the man was a giant. Coupled with his hot temper, which was switched on now, if the waves of frustration intermingled with anger rolling off of him were any indication, he was awfully dangerous. And Alex didn't want to be anywhere near when the man exploded.

Self-preservation was a natural instinct after all. His, obviously was far more developed, being stuck in life threatening situations and all. That didn't mean that Wolf became any less dangerous. Alex had always been cautious and he wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

The sound of screeching of twisting metals cracked through the silence, making Alex flinch inwardly.

_The man really needs to know how to control his emotions. He'd make an awful spy, probably wouldn't last for more than two seconds. Now that I think about it, how the hell did he become a soldier? And the leader of a unit, on top of it? The military of the country must be really desperate. Then again, it is. He hasn't change that much though, not that I can tell. Looks like he's still the same arrogant, bullying, ignorant jackass that I met in SAS..._

As Alex mused, he observed his surroundings, slowly taking it all in. The walls were whitewashed in simple, creamy tones contrasting nicely with the tiled floor which was a slightly darker shade of the walls with patterns of gold, pink and light blue swirling around the corners. A tall, elegant lampshade; a small drawer burdened down with the weight of small accessories and a coat rack were clearly visible in the corner, tucked away near the entrance. Not much was visible of the living room but what he could make out, it all looked very classy and clean, making everything even weirder. Wolf didn't seem the type of person who could decorate his own home much less clean it.

_The design is simple but it looks…..expensive? An interior designer perhaps? But Wolf's job wouldn't allow him to afford such a thing!_

Brows furrowed, he called to the man behind him in a soft voice, "You have a nice home."

The man, who he knew was twisting the door knob like a madman, replied without thinking, surprise evident in his voice, "Th-thanks kid, uh…I mean Cub,sorry,A-Alex."

Alex rolled his eyes. He turned his head around, glancing at Wolf. Wolf's whole body structure was extremely tense and the muscles in his biceps flexed, as if they were high-strung. The storm was approaching fast and it was better to make a quick, sneaky exit rather than getting caught in it.

Preparing himself to somehow make Wolf show him his designated room and break through the several blankets of uneasy silence covering them, he considered his possibilities. Trying to get his way by directing subtle hints toward Wolf was a definite no-no. The man seemed to have forgotten all his hospitable manners at the moment and was currently shuffling around the door like an idiot and what little intelligence Alex had come to associate with Wolf seemed to have deserted him in his time of need, most likely hidden under layers and layers of trauma and shock.

Direct approach seemed best.

"Um...Wolf? Where will I be staying?" Alex's tone was patient, efficiently hiding the annoyance underneath.

As Wolf started and looked up in shock, Alex felt a brief stirring of sympathy. Looked like Wolf had been so caught up in his own thoughts, he had forgotten Alex's presence. It wasn't the man's fault. He'd made sure it would be that way.

His chest suddenly felt a lot colder.

"What? … sure. This way." Wolf babbled and closed the door hastily, his movements stiff and jerky. He strode through the hallway, Alex following silently behind. That sick, empty feeling was back. Which made him even more uncomfortable. Why was it _back_? It was supposed to stay there._ Always._

Frowning, he looked up at Wolf's back. Was it because of him? The surprise today had most certainly made him forget himself. Feeling _something_, after such along time had been…exhausting to say the least. And draining. He had thought that he had felt enough for a year but, now, the empty feeling had disappeared again. It had been…something like irritation hadn't it?

Alex huffed. Well, it was too be expected. Finding out Wolf; the mean, immature soldier who had resorted to bullying a mere child while being a legal, responsible adult himself just to satiate his own hurt and jealous ego( Really? How petty can you get?) was your guardian, however temporary, could shake anybody up. And the man's behavior…..would make any sane person aggravated.

They passed through the kitchen which was dark except for a single, yellow light shining timidly above the high chairs surrounding the polished, granite side counter. The chairs were placed around haphazardly and a plate filled with cold meat was lying on the surface, showing that someone had sat down to eat but then had thought better of it and left quickly. The kitchen showcased the decor in different tones of white, silver and blue with the walls paneled with an extremely dark wood, looking suspiciously like walnut. The floor was marbled. Moreover, it was clean, tidy and _spotless_, rising Alex's suspicion once more.

Wolf's apartment was designed too expensively, too elegantly _simply _and too tidily for it to fit into Wolf's personality _and _his income. The building had been old, gray and rundown but here was an apartment suited to a high class, rich women who had nothing better to do then arrange appointments in exclusive dog saloons for her pet poodle and attend parties to drink wine in paper thin, long stemmed glasses.

The operative word used here was _women._ Female. Lady. Girl. Lass. Chick. Or any other person with a long lasting, maintained style sense really. Everything inside shouted 'careful' and 'patient' and 'loving' which was something Wolf certainly was _not. _And which brought him back to square one.

_Tch. Whatever._

It was not like Wolf was some ultra-rich psycho out to kill people in the most imaginative ways possible. Caution was good and best but maybe he was over thinking it too much. A lottery maybe?

Wolf chose that moment to turn around and speak up, "Uh...Um...Cub? Are you hungry? Want to eat something?"

"No, thank you. I just ate," Alex lied deftly, not wanting to be doing something so vulnerable in front of the big bully.

Wolf nodded, hesitated and then said, "This...uh," he motioned towards Alex left where large, comfortable looking leather sofas rested on a lush, burgundy carpet, "is the den. The rest of the K-unit usually hangs out here."

It was nice, luxurious, comfortable room with a small, old fashioned fireplace. A flat screen television looking wider than normal was glued to the front wall and a tall, glass cabinet held all kinds of trinkets and tidbits-video games, Cd's, DVDs, books, paper, pencils and pens and other random stuff. A room suited to K-unit. At least he was forewarned. It would be easier to avoid them now. One thing was wrong, though. He couldn't quite put his finger to it but there was something off…

"And this is the…uh kitchen," Wolf finished lamely as if only just realizing the stupidity of pointing out the obvious.

"Oh."

Silence filled the room again._ Again._

Wolf looked like wanted to rip his hair out and run away to the Bahamas. In frustration, the man ran a dark, labored hand through his course, raven hair; the coffee colored skin stretched in an effort to keep from grimacing.

He sighed, "Let's-let me take you to your room."

"Of course."

Wolf shot Alex a weird look but rapidly turned around to follow into another brief, dimly lit hallway; failing to give Alex a chance to fully evaluate his response. He slowly came to a stop at the second to last door.

"This is your room. The one across is the bathroom, shared by the two of us. The room beside yours is mine and the last room is basically laundry or storage or whatever," Wolf spoke this at a very fast pace, making it hard for Alex to follow. At the end, Alex answered in the affirmative, "Thank you."

Again, Wolf threw Alex a sharp look but turned away quickly muttering, "You can rest if you would…want to. I'll call you for dinner." and literally ran away from Alex.

_I should be used to it by now._

* * *

><p>Eagle rested his chin on his hand as he switched through channels mindlessly, observing Snake through the corner of his eyes.<p>

"Snake?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I call Wolf now?"

"No."

The hand supporting Eagle's head gave away and he collapsed onto the couch, trying to wrestle his body into a more comfortable position, all the while shooting Snake pleading looks. The silence was broken after a few seconds.

"Snake?"

"What?"

"Please?"

"No."

"Do you not hear the Enchanting Cry of The Phone?"

Nearby, Fox snorted through his beer and sniggered, "Loser."

* * *

><p>The door clicked open and Alex stuck his head inside, his eyes moving through the room curiously.<p>

This room was simple but elegant in its appearance; furnished in similar tones to that outside. However, touches and splashes of fresh green, like that of a grassland from afar, snaked through here and the wall against which the head of the bed rested was painted completely in forest green. An exceedingly furry and delicate looking rug, the color of an arresting Persian blue and lime green, sprawled across the wooden floor.

_Wolf's bank account is a mystery to be sure._

Unfortunately, mysteries had lost their allure for him; what with having to figure them out all the time while his life, quite literally, hung from the tallest building on a precarious thread. Sometimes, which was most of the time really, it had been even worse. Thus, he arrived at the conclusion that he, Alex Rider, would not try to thrust his nose in Wolf's business immediately. No, he would take his time, even if Wolf turned out to be a nutty moron out to revenge his victimized, bullied self on innocent children.

Alex scoffed and sat down on the soft, poster bed, adorned with snow white sheets which were bordered with blue silk.

_Somehow, I doubt Wolf was bullied when he was in school._

He looked around the alien room as he removed his shoes and brought his legs under him. Despite the luxurious aura it was excluding, the room seemed comfortable. Not the stuffy, suffocating feeling he'd come to link with riches. It was as if the place itself had disapproved of someone less than nobility staying inside its walls. Alex was no noble and thus, was thankful for the current room which would prove as a perfect hideout, away from Wolf and his unit.

_It's nice, I guess._

Off to the right was a slim wardrobe and to its left was a large window, complete with green, linen curtains over its own small window seat. He looked behind his shoulder and was surprised to see a graceful glass vase filled with white chrysanthemums standing to attention on the side table beside the lamp. They seemed to be the reason behind the sweet fragrance rolling lazily in the air.

_Did...Wolf?_

Alex shook his head. Imagining Wolf collecting flowers for him was just too bizarre. Sighing he fell back on the bed slowly, staring at the blank ceiling above him.

_So...this is it._

He was in a new and strangely pretty home. He had a new guardian who he was _sure_ wouldn't last for more than a few months (What was Mi6 thinking? _Wolf _for Pete's sake?). Moreover, the rest of the K-unit was bound to show up sooner or later and together, they would try to pick Alex apart like a dysfunctional clock. He knew because wherever he went, it was the same. Same in school, too. It had become a sort of game for them-_ Try to figure out Alex Rider's life. _Speculating eyes and whispers were all that followed him. Sadly, even Tom had become distant after Jack had left. Alex was entirely to blame. In spite of his pleadings and threats, Alex had responded to no one. It had been like he was cut off from the rest of the world. In the end, Tom had given up and hardly called now.

It was for his own good. Alex didn't want Tom involved with him, especially in his current position where he would probably be woven thickly into the goings on in Mi6.

_Too dangerous._

And yes, it was highly dangerous. Tom was better off spending time with his other friend and….a new girlfriend, he'd heard? Lucky Tom. Girls were the last thing on his mind. Actually, there was usually _nothing_ on Alex's mind. It was like he was living in a very dull dream-_he missed her._

A bolt of intense hurt zigzagged through his deceiving exterior and broke through, forcing Alex to clench his eyes and bite his lower lip in an effort to keep the anguished cry from escaping. Furious and afraid, he forced all the emotion behind the fortified walls of his mind in one desperate shove. They were what protected him from _this_, this emotion that felt like springing up when he was least expecting it. And some people would call his method bottling up but he didn't care at long as it worked.

_Sneaky bastard. Trying to mess with me._

Eyes still closed, he waited for the holes in his barrier to close, chanting desperately in his mind for whatever it was to go away. Slowly, far too slowly, the tendrils of pain loosened their grip on his sick heart and receded back behind the walls, waiting patiently for the next opportune moment to strike again.

_Where...where do they come from so suddenly? I...I have tried so hard...so hard but...still?_

Darkness seeped inside his body, welling into pools, traveling through each vein, each nerve, each sinew. It ate away all the pressure inside of his chest, leaving _something_, which was as hollow as mice-invested cheese, standing on weak limbs. Now, all he could feel was…nothing.

_Thank god, I was worried for a moment there…_

Was that relief? By the gods, he _was_ messed up.

_Fear, trembling Hope, and Death, the skeleton,_

_And Time the shadow' and though weak the verse_

_That would thy beauty fain, oh fain rehearse,_

_May Love defend thee from Oblivion's curse._

Dusk had arrived. Light was fading from the comfortable yet foreign room; the faint, vague shadows falling around the room in irregular patterns. The weakest rays remained, illuminating thin, dusty trails in the evening air. Several such hazy paths splayed across Alex's body like a giant hand, one such finger rubbing him directly in the eyelids.

The extremely pale, soft skin wrinkled in irritation; the long, flaxen eyelashes surrounding it fluttering and after much twitching, heaving themselves open. Molten amber irises with wisps of even lighter gold that they were almost white circled around and inside, the eyes gleaming in the darkness. Instead of the fiery spirit which had thrived behind these golden, glassy walls; only dim, flickering ashes were being reflected, the fire almost drowsed, the life almost sucked out.

_James San Luca huh?_

* * *

><p>Wolf brought the cigarette to his mouth as he leaned onto the kitchen counter, his legs crossed beneath him.<p>

_Urghh. It hurts._

There were too many thoughts whirling around in his head. It was practically a sandstorm inside there. Rational, logical thinking was sure to be flying around in some part of his brain somewhere but at the moment, it was a doing an excellent job hiding from him.

_Okay, okay. Let's take it slowly...slowly..._

A nerve started beating in his head as he tried to snatch some sort of coherent thought from the mess inside.

_Ouch! Fuck, I give up!_

Infuriated and angry _with _a headache, Wolf took one last drag from his dying cigarette and stubbed it viciously on the counter, not caring that he missed the ash tray by a few inches.

_Fuck it. Carrie or whoever can take care of it whenever they have to bloody come._

He pulled at the faucet angrily and as thick, white water came gushing out into the sink, he stuck his head right through the flow, simultaneously letting the smoke slip from his teeth.

Water slid over his short hair and splattered all around the sink, the opaque smoke dancing and twisting around the tiny droplets. It was an eerily beautiful sight but Wolf had his eyes closed, too busy trying to calm himself down. Silence echoed around the room, barred only by the sound of running water, calming the man somewhat.

Closing the tap, he let his dripping forehead rest on the edge of the pleasantly cool surface of the granite counter, both hands on either side of his head.

_Hell. I can't handle this mess. The kid, over whom I had thousand sleepless nights, became depressed and knocked Eagle unconscious was Cub. Freaking Cub._

The whole time, however brief, both of them had been together had been one of the worst moments of Wolf's life. The tension and the awkwardness and the frustration had slowly started building up, to the point where it had become unbearable, and Wolf had practically jogged away from Alex , an action the kid was sure to notice, being so goddamn observant.

_And what the hell is up with the kid? Was he trying to rile me up or something? Being all damn polite and nice...what kind of freaking strange rebellion was that? And the blank expression on his face...Ha! Probably totally pissed at his rich, snobby, Mi6-agent parents for leaving him at a peasant's house. Serves the kid and the parents right. God knows how longs I have to take care of him? Now that it comes to mind..._

_What was this Alex's background exactly? (Cub's name is Alex . Suits him I guess.) Turning up at SAS camp when he was just...what? Twelve? Thirteen? Then, arriving at the most unexpected of places. The time, when he had been trying to escape the boarding school, that too on a bloody...strip of metal? Not to forget the stupid, strange attitude._

Wolf shrugged and gritting his teeth, began to stomp to the medicine cabinet, in hope of preventing another headache and finding a towel.

_Frankly, he couldn't care less._

Wolf was only responsible to his unit. Alex had not been a part for a very long time and hence, he was not responsible for his well being. It would be better if the kid stayed out of his way until this whole, stupid deal was over with. He was twenty-six. He was supposed to earn, drink and party. He was _not _supposed to...do parental stuff.

_Are you afraid you'd be exactly like your parents?_ A voice whispered in his ear, cruel and taunting.

Wolf stopped in his tracks. All thoughts were wiped away from his mind and he stood there, silent as grave, staring into space in shock.

_H-How-how dare-_

Hot, piping anger reared its head underneath his chest and Wolf, helpless to its assault, kicked a nearby chair with full force, screaming silently.

* * *

><p><em>Trrrrring!<em>

Every occupant in the room froze as their eyes focused on the flashing, wiggling screen on the table.

_Trrrring!_

The cell buzzed again and Eagle, supporting a massive grin on his face, shouted happily, "I'll get it!" but before he could spring up, a hand fisted around the edges of his shirt.

"No, you don't!" Fox snarled and pulled Eagle back, already reaching his hand out towards the phone.

Eagle let out an angry yell and grabbed Fox's hair tightly. Fox swore profusely but never stopped advancing towards his destination, much to Eagle's dismay. Giving up all hope to stop Ben, Neil took a desperate leap, his arms stretched in front of his head.

However, faster than an eye could blink, another hand snatched the phone away and pressed it to his ear.

"James?" Snake said worriedly into the phone. It seemed that he had, in fact, heard 'The Enchanting Cry of The Phone.' Fox and Eagle shook off their anger at Snake(That's not fair!) and tensed, waiting to hear what was said next.

Snake's expression turned confused but then his eyes widened and his jaw fell slack.

"M-M-Mrs. Salmon? Snake stuttered and Eagle and Fox's expression morphed into '_Oh Shit's.'_

Without a pause, both of them started gathering their possessions in a hurry to leave while Snake switched between glaring 'traitor' at them and apologizing to Mrs. Salmon.

"Of course, I know! The due date has passed…..yes, I will be sure to-"Snake suddenly started shouting, "Oh- I am so sorry, Mrs Salmon! My phone is dying on me! I am so-"with a smirk, he cut the call, "not sorry."

"She'll come around, you know," Fox murmured as he tied his laces haphazardly.

Snake turned on them, "Some friends you are! I have saved your sorry arses from Wolf so many times but you two can't even grow a backbone and support me while I face my land lady!"

Fox understood. Whenever, Snake was stressed, which was extremely rare, he forgot to pay his rent. _Only_ his rent. Snake was weird that way and everyone loved-no, accepted- him the way he was. However, Mrs. Salmon was a slave driver, always particular about every single thing and Fox did _not _want to face her right now.

"Whatever," Snake sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, "I'm also coming with you guys."

"Where we going?" Eagle asked confused.

Fox shook his head and looked towards the roof exasperated but said anyway, "To Wolf's, Eagle head," a little unsure, he looked towards Snake, "We are, right?"

"Yes," Snake agreed, grabbing the keys for his car, "We'll go there. It's been four hours now. Let's go check."

* * *

><p><strong>Footnotes:<strong>

**Okay, okay, I know my ' jibber jatter jitter' corner was extremely lame and you guys were not at all impressed but *shrug* it sounded cool in my head. **

**I was hoping I would have been able to delay this a little longer but I am god awful at handling tense situations and *sigh* here I go. I'm sorry. Very. This update was later than expected in spite of me promising early ones. Even I am surprised. The reason is that I didn't open my mail or even my bloody net for one whole month. And when I did…and literally died of shock, mind you, I suddenly realized how late I was. Determined, I sat down to work and found, to my everlasting despair that Alex was extremely hard to write. And when I mean extremely, I mean EXTREMELY. I love writing Wolf and the others because they are a just a lot of fun. However, I think I drafted Alex's point of view seven to eight times even when I had the whole goddamn story planned out. It was infuriating to say the least. So, yes, I'm really sorry. Please forgive me. Hopefully, the chapter was long enough? I am really very sorry!**

**The main points I need to discuss for this chapter are related to the differences I bet you spotted. And I forgot to mention it earlier but this fanfic is an AU. The canon is only TILL the earlier books…say, till Scorpia and Ark Angel. So basically, Ash never happened and Julia Rothman remains dead. Even then, I've tweaked the earlier story here and there. Don't you love fan fiction, eh? Please read this or be subjected to lots and lots of confusion.**

**In this story, Foxy dear remains Fox. He is not a spy. I repeat, he will NOT be working for Mi6. I can't stomach two spies at once. Alex is hard enough. So, if you're disappointed then don't because I absolutely ADORE writing Fox and Eagle. I hope you will come to like this duo as they are a major part of this story.**

**Secondly, the other issue is Wolf's height. I mean, he is kinda short isn't he? The other fanfics I've read portray him short and even in the movie the guy was tiny. But, as you can see, I made him big, like REALLY big, around 6'4 (Gosh! I know!) It suited my interest as I can't have the guy inferior to ma baby boy who needs to trust him as an adult, not think of him as a dimwit, like he currently does. The height would help in that (maybe?).**

**I know Wolf is kind of an asshole right now but he has to be for the plot to develop. He's the tough exterior soft interior type of guy and Mrs. Jones herself said he would try to help Alex if he found out the truth. Please, stay with him, he's in shock.**

**Also, the poem extract in between which starts with "Fear, trembling Hope and ends with Oblivion's curse"…is not mine. I have not written it. God knows how much I suck at poetry. It is written by Toru Dutt, an Indian poet, and the poem is 'Our Casuarina Tree'. All credits to her. It was just fitting and I couldn't help myself.**

**And…..THANK YOU! Thank you for the reviews and alerts! I love you! And a shout out to Little Shush for such a deliciously long review! The others, too, made my day! So hopefully, you aren't that put out with me that you wouldn't leave a tini-tiny review and make my whole day? I absolutely love all of your feedback and I will make sure to reply to each and every one of you, no matter the size of it.**

**Thank you once again and Stay Tuned (Please?),**

**Mikado's Ink  
><strong>


	4. The Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

"**_First impression is the last impression."_**

"**_Really?"_**

"**_Uh-huh."_**

"**_Shit."_**

**_ -Wolf and Cub_**

**Chapter 3**

**The Beginning**

"Alrighto, Mr. Red Tree, gulp it all down like a good boy. Yes….yes…there you go! Wasn't so bad now was it? Go and sit on your chair, I'll bring you some tea," with an affectionate pat on her husband's head, Mrs. Red Tree hobbled to her kitchen.

Mr. Red Tree had taken his medicine without making much of a fuss. Marilyn Monroe wasn't showing anymore signs of indigestion and Elvis Presley had yet to scratch out the closet's wood. All in all, a good day.

A smile appearing on her cherubic face, Mrs. Red Tree took out her favorite kettle and rubbed off some dusty spots, bending down to put it under the sink.

As it filled, she pushed her hair; brown, wild ringlets, away from her face and scratched her cat's ear, who was currently looking out the window intently. Peering to look at whatever had caught Marilyn Monroe's eye, she scanned through the darkness. Cats weren't guard dogs but it wouldn't do any good to disregard the dear's concern, especially at such a late hour. The girl was the smartest, she was.

_What could it –_Mrs. Red Tree gasped and her eyes widened. There, walking towards the building, were three handsome men.

_They make them so fine these days, don't they? Aren't they... San Luca's friends? He just returned! Got a bullet to the knee, the poor thing..._

That James fellow had been living here for four long years and still, she'd hardly caught a whiff off him. And he was her neighbor! All she'd sometimes hear was a click when the neighbor's door opened and closed and an occasional pretty girl with hardly any clothes on strutting through the hallway in the morning. Well, what did she know of soldiers? It was a dangerous occupation and she couldn't imagine her son doing it, as fine as a boy he was. Well, it certainly suited the tall, intimidating and dark man living right next door. Mrs. Red Tree pondered over her mysterious neighbor as the kettle overflowed, failing to notice Elvis Presley slinking out through the front door.

Mr. Red Tree's shrieks and gestures were ignored as usual.

* * *

><p>Eagle peered around the corner, glancing left and right, "All clear."<p>

"Great. I'll take the lead. Make sure to tiptoe through the corridor." Snake whispered as he walked extremely slowly towards Door Number 18 D.

"Fuck, I feel like a burglar," Fox muttered.

"Shut up! This is great!" Eagle hissed as he made his way behind Snake, completely in 'spy' mode. Gritting his teeth, Fox put a step forward when suddenly, a grey blur whizzed by hissing, causing him to lose his balance and-

BAM!

-fall down on his but. The sound was so loud that the wall reverberated with it and the floor moaned in agony.

_Looked like trying to best Wolf's super sonic hearing had been no good._

Silence prevailed for a few seconds, after which Snake hissed, "Great Job, dickhead."

"Yes, great job. Dunno why they named you 'Fox.' It should be more like 'Clumsy.' Scaring Wolf is a no-go now."

"Shut up!" Fox and Snake yelled in unison. It wasn't long however, before Snake turned to him and pulled his ear, "What are we suppose to do now, idiot?" Wolf would definitely have heard that and now everything is for nothing! He's going to shoo us away and I'm not going to get a look at that kid-

"Ow! Leggo!"

"Wolf told us to stay far from his apartment for three days at least. Remember, _Fox-head_?" Eagle added, arms crossed in satisfaction at the spectacle before him.

Eagle had forgotten all about 'Wolf's kid,' (Wolf. Kid. _Lol.)_ and his own enthusiasm. Apparently, Fox being scolded was too much of a rare chance to let by so easily.

Snake looked behind him, " Foxhead? Seriously?"

Eagle turned defensive, "Well, he called me Eagle-head. What was I supposed to do?"

"No offense, but Fox-head is kind of stupi-oh no, I am not having a conversation like this…"

"Yeah, I mean, c'mon…Fox's are hellava smart."

"Eagle-head? _Eagle-head?_ They are supposed to very intelligent with eyesight so amazing-

"_ARGhhhhhh."_

The three men jumped as they heard the moaning, drawing near each other unconsciously for support.

"What was _that_?" Fox whispered, clutching Snake's sleeve tightly.

"Is it a ghost?" Eagle hissed fearfully.

"Get off. _Now._" With that, Snake shook off their grips and stomped towards Wolf's door, putting his right ear to it.

"I know that sound-

"_Son of a bi-_

"Yup, it's Wolf. Wolf as in a drunken Wolf."

"No way-,"Eagle sprang towards the door to confirm it for himself.

"Uh-huh" Snake smiled victoriously but then, frowned, muttering, "What is he doing? Isn't there a kid inside?"

"He's drunk?" Fox asked as he put his aching ear near the door, "the hell? Isn't that- I dunno-inappropriate? Getting drunk in front of a –

"No idea," Snake shrugged, still frowning in confusion. They weren't exactly known for knowing what was wrong or right for a kid, "Good news is, it'll be pretty easy sneaking in."

"Yeah!" Eagle cheered, "Let's go and the see the boy! Wait…he is a boy right…?"

_Something's wrong_

Setting Wolf's behavior aside for now, Snake looked in his pocket for the spare key to Wolf's apartment.

"Drat, I left it at home. Fox, quickly, give me yours. Okay guys, remember, slowly and silently."

Both men nodded.

Door number 18 D creaked open hesitantly as three men poked their heads inside.

"_Man, I hate it. I absolutely hate it. Being all nice and polite-blah-wimpy-getting on my nerves, that bloody piece of shit...fucking felt like killing him and getting it over with- ,"_

"That's our Wolf," Fox said amused and Eagle grinned. Snake, however remained impassive with his eyes looking troubled.

_Why is he so angry?_

Hands clamped to their mouths, K-Unit tiptoed through the corridor. Eagle accidentally bumped into the wall but thankfully, Wolf was far too gone to notice.

"Don't mess this up!" Fox glared at Eagle and stamped his foot. Eagle did the same and both men were rewarded with a silent smack to their heads.

"Focus!" Snake hissed.

The living room came into view along with Wolf who was a _sight._ Peering around the wall, the picture presented to them was a sorry one indeed.

Wolf was lying half dead on the big sofa, his head hanging from the edge. The front of his white shirt was soaked and his legs were stretched over the headrest of the sofa, giving him a topsy-turvy look. One arm rested on his stomach while the other fell to the ground, gripping a bottle. The room stank with the pungent, acidic smell of alcohol but the man, with his bloodshot eyes and loud mutterings, seemed unaware of this.

"My God," Snake said, holding his nose, the other following his example. Concern for their leader and friend overpowering everything else, they made their way to him.

"Let's take him to his room. He's far too gone to notice his change of surroundings."

That was, unfortunately, not true. Wolf was conscious but inebriated enough to not know the difference between the carpet and the ceiling and a friend from a foe. Hearing their approach, the man's eyes sharpened instantly and in a moment of confusion and suddenness, crashed to the floor. Staggering upright quickly, he tried to act through the haze covering his eyes.

"Who' you?" He shouted, swinging the bottle in his hands wildly, forcing a shout out of Eagle who'd frozen in surprise like the others.

"I'm gonna get you, you thieffffs-"

Wolf lunged towards the sound, grabbing Eagle by the throat, the other hand poised to strike him with the bottle.

"Hey, Wolf, man stop! It's me Eagle!" the said victim cried as he reached out both hands to grab the hand on his throat and the one wavering in the air, awkwardly wrestling with the humongous Wolf, both men grunting and shouting.

"Shit James! Stop!" Fox bellowed. In desperation to stop his team-mate from getting a cracked skull, he jumped on his leader's back in one giant leap. The considerably extra weight made Wolf falter. Snake, taking advantage of the situation, tried to tug Wolf's hand away from Eagle's throat.

However, Wolf was stronger and taller than the rest, and was _drunk_. Giving a roar of his own, he tried to shake all three of them at once. He shook so hard that Fox believed his brains had turned to brain mush and felt like his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. K-unit, except Snake, who had already been panicked, panicked _more._

"Shit, shit, shit, shit , shit ,shit! Bloody hell!" Fox cursed as he was bounced back and forth on Wolf's back, his whole world suffering through massive earthquakes.

"YaaaaaaAAAAAH!" Eagle had given up trying to make sense and was now screaming in frustration at his leader, one hand trying to claw away the grip on his throat. He was going to murder Wolf-

"Knock him out, knock him out, knock him out you fools!" Snake yelled in between, now practically sitting on Wolf's arm, trying to tear it away.

Fox, in desperation, grabbed hold of the alcohol bottle dancing in the air by holding Wolf's wrist and smashed the bottle on his leader's head.

CRASH!

The sound of glass breaking into a thousand pieces resounded in the room, the shards flying everywhere. Few milli-seconds of pin-drop, shocked silence was followed by Wolf's eyes rolling into the back of his head and his body slumping to the ground, unfortunately taking Ben Daniels along with him.

"What the fu-aaaAAAAH!" Wolf was lying on top of Fox, pun fully intended..

Eagle laughed shakily, the adrenaline slowly leaving his body. His knees felt suspiciously jittery and Snake looked like he wanted to collapse on a chair. Which he did.

" What the fuck're you laughing at? Help me up!" Fox growled, his voice muffled by Wolf's hair as he struggled with the _bloody fucking Godzilla._

Eagle nodded absent mindedly but stopped just in time, a handsome smirk slowly forming on his face. Taking out his phone, he said, "Just a sec" and with a click and flash of light, Fox's horrified face _beneath Wolf_ was recorded forever.

"You guys," Snake shook his head, smiling slightly, bending down to check Wolf's head, "You should have been more careful, you asshole. What if he had gotten a concussion?"

"Serves him right," Eagle muttered as he fell on a couch. Fox, by now, had squeezed himself out of the intimately awkward position he had been in, eyes narrowed in anger in Eagle's direction. However, realizing the pain and suffering Wolf had put him through, turned around and gave him a hearty kick for good measure. Wolf groaned.

"BEN!"

"Oops.," Fox said blandly and walked towards Eagle, holding out a hand in demand, "Give me the goddamn phone."

He was ignored.

Snake, sighing, got up from Wolf's side, "Thankfully, he'll just stay unconscious for two-three hours. That thick skin of his sure came in handy."

"What? He deserves to be in more pain!" Fox said loudly, sounding as if Snake had betrayed him. The potential blackmailer lay forgotten on the sofa.

Snake shrugged and shook his head again, "I don't know, I think the killer headache he's going to get when he wakes up will be a punishment enough in itself. He consumed a _whole _bottle, after all."

"I'll be outta here by then," Eagle murmured into his cushion, "Don't want to suffer more unpleasantness. God, I'm so grateful."

"You would be," a cool, amused and f_oreign_ voice replied. Three heads snapped up to see a tall, blonde teenager grinning at them from the doorway.

_A blondie who's blonde hair was very, very familiar._

He gave them a thumbs-up, "That was just like the drunken fights I see on T.V"

_C-Cub?_

* * *

><p>Elvis Presley licked his paw carefully, making sure to not miss a singles spot. Filthy creature had scared him to death, appearing in front of him so suddenly.<p>

It was supposed to be a basking-in-the-sun day but that human had foiled his plans. Now all of his beautiful, beautiful silky hair was standing on end and it certainly wouldn't do for the kitties of the neighborhood to find him in such an unbecoming fashion.

Flattening his ears in irritation as loud noises reverberated through the corridor, he looked towards _that_ door, the door that offending creature had gone through. More noises were heard again.

_Curious._

* * *

><p>All of the K-unit were glued to their places, eyes bulging out of their sockets as they stared at their youngest and missing member. Fox was half-way in lunging towards Eagle and Snake was half-way in opening his mouth to berate him. It was as if someone had yelled 'statue.'<p>

The subject in question stared back, the edge of his mouth twitching in amusement.

The staring contest continued for quite some time.

Surprisingly, Eagle was the one who broke the silence first. Squeezing his eyes open and shut, Eagle shook his head (It was Wolf who had been hit in the head right? Maybe a shard somewhere…?) and advanced towards Alex, a very fishy polite expression on his face.

Alex tensed as if expecting an assault but otherwise remained unaffected. Eagle noticed none of this and pointed the front of the broken bottle at the kid, "Who are you?"

Alex blinked once, then twice.

"Alex Rider."

Eagle jerked the bottle at Alex's face again, " And why are you pretending to be Cub?"

_Pretending? What?_

"It's maybe because….I_ am?_" Alex's voice was incredulous and a little confused.

Eagle pointed the bottle at Alex's face furiously, his mask slipping, "Stop lying! You are not!'

"What the-," Alex muttered to himself then looked behind Eagle. The others still hadn't moved an inch.

K-unit had definitely changed. For once, he never remembered them being this atrociously stupid and ridiculous and two, the cold expressions they had worn in SAS were missing.

They looked bewildered.

Alex smirked._ There faces are priceless…their reactions are even better than Wolf when Mrs. Jones told him what was going on…_

He looked back at Eagle who was still staring at him with a furious expression._ Did he get severe head injury on a recent mission or something?_

"Well…..my name _is_ Alex Rider."

Eagle nodded impatiently, "Yes, and you are not Cub."

Alex stared at Eagle dumbstruck. He didn't know how to handle this, whatever _this _was.

"How can I say that when I am?" Alex said the words extremely slowly.

"Because you are _not!"_

"Are you bloody serious-?"

"Yes, yes I am!"

"God, what an idiot…."

" I am not an idiot!"

"You're acting like one!" Alex, to his despair, was somehow totally caught up in this mad, nonsensical conversation.

"Well, you are not Cub."

"_Well,_ I am."

"You're not!

"I am dammit!"

"You-" Eagle's face drained of color when he really looked at Alex, "are."

Collapsing to the ground, he started mumbling angry, inane things.

Alex stared at Eagle with a half disturbed, half amused expression. Was this how K-unit was actually like off-duty or were these men some runaway jokers from a circus who were really bad at acting?

Snake, by the time, had recovered. He just needed to collect his thoughts. Everything started to fall into place when he stared at freaking _Cub._ However, for the life of him, he had yet to string a sentence together. Maybe he wasn't as recovered as he'd thought he was.

Fox was the last one to get out of the coma. With a yell, he pointed his finger at Alex," You! You, you, you! You're Cub!"

Said Cub simply raised an eye-brow. What the hell was wrong with them? He, for the very first time in his life, had no idea how to react to these…these_ imposters._

_Yeah, definitely imposters. 'Cause even Wolf is not that bad at acting. Failures, the lot of them._

"But…but," Fox sputtered as he stared at Alex, momentarily forgetting the English language, "But the kid …..staying with Wolf…is it-"

"You!" Eagle bellowed triumphantly as Alex winced, never having so many accusatory "You's!" directed at him, "You are the kid who Wolf is supposed to take care of!"

Then, realizing the meaning of his words, dropped the bottle and smacked both hands to his mouth.

"**_Wolf_**_ is Cub's temporary guardian?"_

_Yeah,_ Snake thought in horrified relief, _that about sums it up._

"What?" Fox asked, astounded.

"Wolf is Cub's temporary guardian," Eagle repeated monotonously, "Oh My God."

"Oh My God." Fox agreed.

Both parties stared at each other, one in horror and the other in amusement. Seeing that things were quickly spiraling out of control, Snake decided to take matters into his own hands. Clearing his throat, he passed Eagle and Fox to put his hand forward in greeting, "Long time no see, Cub."

Alex relaxed slightly. This he could handle. Shaking Snake's hand, he nodded, "It certainly has been a long time." _Not long enough._

Snake smiled slightly, "You're right. Well…how about..all of us sit down and have a chat? It'll surely help."

"Alright." Alex's tone was polite to the perfect degree. Inside, he was scrutinizing Snake and the rest who he just couldn't seem to understand.

Snake was definitely the most mature one. The others were…odd. Yup, they were odd. He didn't remember Eagle and Fox acting like five year olds. Most of the time, they had been tense, distant and wholly indifferent to his presence. Now, they were acting like a bunch of fools. Maybe it was because they were off duty..?

_Have to get away from them fast. Whatever it is, it could be contagious._

However, all doubts on the sanity of K-unit members aside, he hoped that they could be civil to each other for the rest of his certainly short stay. Frankly, he liked these sides of them better than their soldier ones. _More open to read and analyze, you know?_

Snake's maintained a calm façade as his thoughts reeled. There were just so many things to go over. Cub, for one thing. Wolf for the other thing. Cub and Wolf both for the terrible, last thing.

_Jesus._

He noticed that Eagle and Fox were still gaping at Cub and the kid was starting to feel uncomfortable._ Oh shit, I forgot about them._

Walking purposely towards them, Snake began forcefully pushing them towards the sofa, all the while smiling awkwardly at Alex.

"They are just-" Snake inserted a laugh here, "- you know, a little surprised, "he kicked Eagle discreetly in the shins and laughed shrilly again, "They'll come to their senses in a minute-," Fingers were tactfully dug into Fox's arms, "- I apologize on their behalf."

"Its fine, no worries," Alex was highly entertained._ This K-unit is interesting indeed._

With a grunt (when did they become so fucking huge?), Snake threw both of them into the sofa. He pulled their hair from behind as warning( 'you both are extremely embarrassing and I swear to God, if you don't pull your acts together then I will injure you with the sharpest scalpel in my bag')smiled sweetly at Alex and turned towards the kitchen.

"A beverage will do all of us good. What would you like Cu-ah… Alex?"

_Strange. Wolf made the same mistake with my name. Guess they do only remember me as Cub, huh?_

"Thanks but I'll pass."

"Uh-okay," Snake hesitated then turned towards his team-mates, a cool glare already settling on his face, "You. And You. What do you two want?"

_Gee. So friendly._

Rubbing the sore places on which they'd been hit, both muttered something like 'vodka' or 'tequila.'

"It's tea for us, then," Snake said cheerfully and left.

An awkward silence, something Alex was increasingly getting used to, descended upon them.

Fox glanced at the door, then at Alex, then again at the door and sighed.

"Look," he began, gaining Alex's attention, "I-I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have reacted like that…such a moron…I was just-"

"Surprised?" Alex probed politely.

"Um, yeah. I'm really sorry about that. I was surprised and I acted like an idiot and I-I'm sorry?" Fox asked, finishing quite lamely.

"It's quite alright," Alex shrugged, stifling the sudden urge to laugh. It was strange, he'd almost forgotten how it felt like to feel that wonderful, exhilarating and free feeling._ Laughter._

Fox nodded, wincing slightly at how stupid he'd come across. That was fucking Eagle's department.

"I'm sorry too," Eagle added and both turned to look at him, who was supporting a rare, serious look in his eyes, "I didn't mean it. It's just that, you were the last kid we were expecting Wolf to end up with. Plus, we haven't seen you for a long time and you can imagine, the shock we got. I apologize for acting like an idiot and making you uncomfortable."

Alex couldn't quite find a reply._ This...this is the same, stupid guy from before?_

As if reading his thoughts, Eagle grinned and winked, " I know, I know. My charm is irresistible when I put it use. You see, I'm quite the ladies man."

Alex nodded along, "I'm sure." He wasn't quite sure as of what to make of the slight, airy feeling growing in his chest. _C-Comradeship?_

"Anyways, I should probably introduce myself. Like _really_ introduce myself," he reached out his right hand to where Alex was sitting, "Hi, my name is Neil Anders. You must be the Alex Rider who had to deal with us before. Good for you, mate."

Alex tried to fight it but eventually lost and let a small, genuine smile grace his face. He lent forward and shook Eagle's hand with his own, "Yeah, that's me."_ Amazing. Maybe this is Eagle's other split personality._

As Eagle leaned back satisfied, Fox stared at him, astonished.

_Wha-?! Well...shit. Just...shit. Did I just loose to this bimbo? What is happening to this dam world? _

Shaking himself out of his bewildered reverie, Fox blinked and offered his own name, "Ben. Ben Daniels."

"Nice to meet you Ben," Alex replied politely. He gazed at them thoughtfully. Besides possessing names that weirdly suited them, both of them seemed friendly. And different. A _lot_ different. They were almost…almost…likable. Maybe talking to them wouldn't be as bad as he's originally thought it would be. Hell, he would take them upon Wolf any day of the week.

Eagle scratched his head and looked at him, "Hey, I wonder, how come you ended up with here with Wolf? Not that it's my place to ask but…"

Alex froze.

"Yeah, it's none of our business but since Mi6 is involved, we were just a little curious…."Fox too trailed off.

Alex calmed himself, hesitated, then opened his mouth to speak, choosing his words very carefully, "No, its fine. My… care-taker had to leave her _job_," here, Alex swallowed painfully (It_ had been just a job all this while, eh?), _"-due to personal reasons. As Mi6 are my official guardians, they decided Wolf was the best option."

He had to get it out of the way. He'd already learned his lesson at school. The more mysterious you are, the more attention you attract. And Alex didn't want any attention. He just wanted them to be _not _suspicious and leave him alone. They'd get bored soon, anyway._ And I'll be all alone all over again._

_Good._ Alex thought viciously, pressing down all other feelings.

"Care-taker?" Eagle asked with the subtlety of a slug, "What about your parents?"

"Don't have any. Actually, didn't have any as far as I can remember."

Both men froze, having no idea what to say.

Alex laughed, but there was no mirth present in his voice, "It's no biggie. They passed away around the time I was born. I lived with my uncle. He too, died recently. After that time, I was under my housekeeper's care. Until now."

_Have to do this. Have to do this. Have to do this. _But it was terrifyingly hard. Alex was a spy and giving away information about his _personal_ life was going against his very nature. He was very secretive and this was grating on his soul._ But I have to do this._

"We're sorry," Eagle said tentatively._ Such tragedy in a life so young. That is why he looks so old. It must have hurt a lot, neh?_

" Like I said, not your fault."

The mood in the room was somber.

Fox looked thoughtful. Finally he asked, "If I may be so bold, why are Mi6 your legal guardians? I always thought it was strange, a boy so young ending up in SAS."

_Have to do this._ After all, he had no reason not to tell them.

"My mother, father, uncle…all of them were Mi6 agents. Naturally, Mi6 became my guardian. I was sent to SAS because that time was a very tense zone. My uncle had annoyed some people and for my safety, they sent me to target and all that. You know, so that I could protect myself and stuff. Moreover, I am normally, physically weak, as you are aware. Thanks for the postcard by the way."

"You're welcome," Eagle replied softly, looking at Alex with new eyes._ This boy is so brave..._

Fox was still skeptical but hid it well._Weak?The kid had been bloody amazing at SAS._ He glanced at Alex and saw that he seemed awfully tired.

Eagle got up, grinning widely and threw open his arms, saying, "Welcome back to K-unit kid!"

* * *

><p>Snake leaned against the fridge, arms crossed in silent contemplation, having heard everything.<p>

This certainly complicated things. It also explained a lot. Cub, no, Alex had always been strangely and intricately involved with the intelligence agency. Now, he knew why. He also realized why Wolf had been drunk out of his mind. He and Cu-Alex had history, a history not easily forgotten. No matter how petty, it had been there and had been unpleasant. He'd almost forgotten the insults Wolf had thrown at the kid and how the kid had retaliated in kind, with cryptic remarks and subtle pranks.

_It just had to be Wolf._

He hoped they wouldn't kill each other. Wolf was highly likely to do that, what with other things stressing him out as well. Also, being away from the field frustrated Wolf, unlike the rest of the unit.

_I'll have to talk to James. Their reunion apparently hasn't gone well, seeing as he's passed out in the corner. And maybe Cub as well? He seemed so quiet and polite…I've never known him like this before._

His mind flashed back to Cub, sitting quietly, with his arms tucked to his sides and his whole body hanging as if his skin had become too loose for him. His clothes had seemed extra-large for his too skinny body and shadows which had looked like bruises were marked under his eyes.

_Definitely need to talk to James. He needs to treat the kid properly, seeing what he's told Eagle...the kid's awfully tough. A survivor, eh?_

A nostalgic, sad grin spread across Snake's face as he slowly shook his head and started preparing the tea.

* * *

><p>"You know Alex, this name suits you. Anyway, how did you come to know we were here? Making quiet a racket were we?"<p>

Deciding to breeze in that very moment, Snake deftly picked up the tray and walked out of the kitchen. All that was left in his stomach was a kind of...gnawing anxiety..

" Yes, you were. For a moment, I thought it was a burglar," Alex rolled his eyes good-naturedly at him.

"Eagle and Fox can only stay quiet for so long. Being so silent during missions drives them crazy," Snake grinned at Alex as he walked forward and set the tray at the table.

"Hey!"

"Shut up!"

Alex observed them with a frown. They were so different, it was almost bizarre.

"Shit, I totally forgot! Cub, my name is Matt-"

"Matthew," Eagle corrected, grinning.

"Fuck off. As I was saying, I'm Matt Anders and I'm the healer in the unit."

Alex raised his eye-brows in surprise.

" are cousins. Unfortunately," Snake replied to Alex's look.

"What's the relation?"

"Our fathers are brothers."

Alex looked at them closely. Yes, their featured definitely matched.

"I wasn't very happy when Neil decided to join the army. I mean, who would want a kid brother tagging along?"

"What? You're just like, three years older!"

"That makes you the kid brother."

"Well, I have an…an…an up in our heights!"

Snake froze. Fox shook his head and mouthed 'bad move' at Alex.

Snake rotated in perfect ninety-degree turn and glared at Eagle, who was paling considerably. Apparently, Snake's height was a touchy subject.

Snake growled and grabbed Eagle's collar, "What did you say?"

"N-nothing."

"Yes, you _did_. Let me tell you, _idiot,_ that 5'8 is a very respectable height."

"Absolutely! I agree!"

Alex and Fox watched on amusedly. Suddenly, Fox yelped and sprang up from the couch, making everybody look at him.

"What's wrong?"

Fox stared at the couch muttering, "Something very sharp poked me."

Snake peered around him, "I can't see nothing."

"Whatever," Fox shrugged and plopped down again.

Alex leaned forward and stared at the foot of the couch. What was that? Something definitely was there….

* * *

><p><em>Cream.<em>

They have cream on the table.

* * *

><p>Without a warning, a grey blur sprang onto the table, sending spoons and cups crashing to the floor. The cup containing the cream wobbled and with uncanny precision, toppled off into the steaming, bare lidded tea-pot and was never heard from again. Fox, being nearest, was so surprised that he fell off the couch.<p>

"What the hell-"

Eagle's sentence never finished as the demon turned its blazing eyes on him, as if blaming him for the loss of the cream which had selflessly sacrificed itself.

Everybody remained frozen for sometime before Alex slowly got up, his eyes trained on the animal. The rest followed his example, getting up as slowly as gravity allowed them.

"It's a bloody cat," Snake said softly as they stared at it, disbelieving, horrified and a little scared. The thing had awfully sharp nails…

"Where the fuck did it come from?" Eagle hissed as Fox struggled on the floor a bit, before getting up, turning furiously towards the table and freezing in his tracks.

"C-Cat!"

"Shhhh" Snake shushed him, "Everybody, don't make any sudden movements or sounds. We have to handle this very carefully."

Everybody looked at the glaring cat, sitting too calmly for anybody's liking on the table and gulped.

"It sure is turning out to be a day," Fox muttered faintly.

Snake shushed him again, then hesitated, and then said, all the while with his eyes being fixed on the cat, "It's probably hungry or something. If he do this right….it'll obey us."

"Shit Matt, are you crazy? I don't see that demon obeying anyone anytime soon!" Eagle spoke through his teeth, his hands clutched at his sides. Alex had the suspicion that Fox was not even paying attention to the conversation, his eyes staring into those of the cat's.

Snake ignored him, "It's alright Eagle. Watch me."

He started moving at a snail's pace towards the table.

"Are you serious? It's going to kill you?" Eagle whisper-yelled.

Alex had to say, Snake suddenly looked very confident about his plan. Too confident. He was extremely doubtful, though. If he was Snake, he would be running in the opposite direction. The cat seemed awfully hissy and his eyes (he was assuming it was a he  
>) seemed to have narrowed at Snake's approach.<p>

"Hey, it's alright. We are not gonna hurt you…its okay…come to me …come to Papa," Snake's voice had reduced to a disgusting coo as he brought his arms forwards.

The cat's eyes shifted to Snake's advancing hands.

"Nice….and…easy," Snake breathed as he put both his hands lightly on the cat's fur. Fox looked terrified while Eagle chewed at his nails. Alex tensed.

It did nothing.

Everybody, except Alex, sighed in relief and a triumphant grin was just about spreading on Snake's face when the cat gave a ear-splitting shriek and sprang towards Snake, fangs bared. The force of its jump was so great that Snake fell backwards with the cat clinging to him like a damsel in distress, both of them yelling loudly.

"YaaaAAAH!" Snake yelled as he landed on the floor with a crash, his screams expressing his agony at being targeted by the gods themselves. Maybe he should have never insulted Zeus's goatee.

"OH My God!" Eagle yelled as he watched everything with wide eyes, his hands clutching his face. Without thinking, he sprang towards Snake, bent down and tugged wildly on the cat's tail, his shrieking perfectly in sync with the cat's.

"What are you DOING?" Fox bellowed at him in panic and instead of loyally helping Snake, he jumped behind Eagle and tried to tug him away from the cat's tail, " Are you FUCKING crazy? It'll turn on you, than me!"

"HELP ME, YOU BASTARDS!" Snake raged as he violently tried to kick the cat away from himself. No such luck. The cat was clinging on to him in dear life, his nails very, very close to Snake's face and inching closer by the minute…

"aaaAAAHHH!" Yelled Snake.

"aaaAAAHHH!" Yelled Eagle.

Fox had given up voicing out anything and was flailing his arms like a headless chicken, his mouth opening and closing silently in utter horror.

It was all up to him.

As _usual_.

Resisting the urge to burst out in hysterical laughter, Alex made his decision as he ran towards Snake, who was blocking the doorway, advancing quickly in full speed and-

Jumping right over him to dash to kitchen.

"Cub?!" Eagle shouted in confusion.

"Be right back!" Alex yelled back. He jumped over the counter and in front of the fridge.

"Come on, come on, where is it, where is it-" Alex muttered to himself as he took frantic glances towards the living room. Eagle had looked about ready to cry with Fox following him suit. Snake, last he had seen of him, had been sharing snarls with the cat as both of refused to give in.

"Aha! Found it!" Alex grinned in victory as he took the whole can and sprinted towards the shrieking noises. Stepping inside, he bent down on his knees and called to the cat, "Hey you! You ugly cat!"

It actually stopped and looked at him in disbelief.

_How dare you call something as beautiful as me the U-word, you pathetic mortal!_

"Here, kitty! Want some cream?" Alex taunted as he poured the contents of the can onto the floor. The cream sludged out in an extremely slow and seductive manner, giving the cat the 'come hither' sign.

The cat's eyes zoomed on the cream dipping down the ground.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Alex coaxed as Eagle and Fox paused long enough to stare at him.

Making its final decision, hissing and glaring at Snake, it jumped off him and swaggered towards Alex, sniffing the air.

Snake sagged to the floor, gulping down oxygen like he'd never breathed it before. Eagle fell on Snake in exhaustion and Fox watched, still staring at the darned cat.

_It's working!_

Now all he had to do was somehow capture it while it licked away on the floor.

_How-?_

Alex had just looked around for something-

"Wazzgoingon?" a voice slurred as a huge shadow got up suddenly from behind the sofa and swung unsteadily on his feet.

No!

The cat, halfway towards its intended destination, reared back in such haste that it fell to the ground with a thump, squawking and screeching in shock. With every hair standing on end, the pitiful animal got so afraid that it attacked on instinct, burying its fangs in Wolf's hind leg.

"YaaaaaAAAAAAAAAH! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! BLOODYMOTHERFU-WHAT THE FUCK-"

Wolf had gotten a very, very painful awakening. Bellowing his head off, he tried to make sense of what in the world was happening

"Oh no-"

The others reactions were instant. All of them got up at the speed of lightning, looked around frantically until they spotted whatever they were looking for and dove behind that piece of furniture in a giant leap.

Alex could only stand and stare in horrified fascination

Their leader didn't even notice their betrayal. He was too busy trying to tear his leg away from the creature holding onto it. Was it a humongous leech? This was a horrible nightmare.

"Wolf! Calm down!" Snake ordered from behind the sofa, his eyes peering above the edge.

Wolf's answer was to shake his leg harder as he was forced to sober up, in spite of the alcohol thrumming through his veins. Picking up a large, glass shard, he threw it at the direction from which Snake had spoken, "WHAT THE HELL MATTHEW? WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!"

Snake's reply was drowned out by a shriek loudest yet, a woman's guttural howl," ELVIS PRESLEY!"

Every occupant in the room, even Fox and Eagle, who had been praying desperately with their eyes closed, froze. However, the most effect was on the cat, who seemed to lose his soul and his fangs loosened from Wolf's leg as it slithered down in shock.

Shaking itself, it got up, send one final glare around the arm and slinked away around the corner.

Wolf collapsed on the floor, his hands fisted on the hard surface as he stared downwards, sweat rolling down his forehead. His lower calf, too, was oozing a thick, burgundy liquid through his faded jeans and staining them.

"This doesn't seem good." Alex murmured as he stared at Wolf's wound.

Wolf looked up.

_And _all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p><strong>You know that I, have been deemed worthy and fortunate enough *cough,cough* to be graced by the presence of Elvis Presley. Yeah, the snobby cat in the story is<strong> **my cat.**** Marylin Monroe's sweet. **

**Please review.**

**I beg**

**And i beg...**

**Mikado's Ink**


	5. I Don't Think I Like You Much

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

**Chapter 4  
><strong>

**I Don't think I like You Much**

_It's his fault._

Wolf looked up and stared at the boy blankly.

His leg hurt like a bitch. His body felt like it was being driven apart by some unseen force and his head throbbed with a headache so massive that his vision blurred momentarily and _it was all his fault!_

Wolf's rugged, hardened features twisted with hatred as he succumbed to one of man's most ugly failures.

_Damn you._

He hadn't wanted this. Had _never_ wanted this kid. Cub was supposed to remain a distant, unpleasant memory and not manifest into reality, tearing _his_ normal into smithereens.

_Damn you!_

He wanted to reach out and wipe that pitying expression off his face. He wanted to reach out and cause pain. He wanted to _hurt_ him.

It all happened very quickly.

Wolf had Alex pinned to the wall by the neck, his movements made lightning fast and precise by his rage. He tightened his hands further and lifted the boy a few inches off the ground, focusing only on the boy's eyes which had widened with surprise and pain, not hearing the alarmed shouts around him. Everything faded from his consciousness but the boy's face, tinged with red around the corners.

He was so furious he could barely speak but managed to tighten his hands around his neck even more, now crushing Alex's windpipe and forcing the boy's head to jerk back, whose hands were reflexively clawing on the choking collar around his neck. Alex's eyes flashed with something so fast he nearly missed it but because he had been watching the boy so carefully, he was able to catch the slight shadow of fear and his chest tightened with satisfaction.

Something was tugging at his body but he didn't pay it the slightest attention, hazel eyes finally meeting with the boy's golden ones, which had avoided his intense gaze so far. And they were simmering with resentment. For _him._

Yeah. Like he had _any _right.

Hissing like a wild animal, Wolf jerked Alex's head once more, ignoring his slight wince, and finally spat out in a venomous whisper only Alex could hear, "Your life has been pretty amazing so far right? It must have been very nice, having everything served to you on a silver platter. Everybody adoring you and loving you and licking your fuckin' boots but let's just get one thing straight, alright? I don't care that you are my responsibility or that you're my ex-team mate. You'll be living under my roof for hopefully a very, very short time and I'm _not _gonna be a freaking nanny. You need something? You can fucking sort it out yourself. You're hungry? You can eat whatever the fuck you want with the money in the left drawer in the kitchen. I don't care how you fucking spent it but I'm not going to give you more. You're hurt? The medicine cabinet is to the right.

Do what you want to do as long as you stay out of my way and keep the talking to a minimum. Sort your own problems out cause I have better things to do than to listen to an adolescent's shallow whining. _Because I don't want you._ Fuck I never-"

The rest of his words were left unfinished because a fist had come flying out of nowhere and smacked him hard on the jaw, sending him crashing into the floor. His head smacked on the cold, tiled floor hard before he became unconscious. A panting Fox stood in front of Wolf, his fist still in the same position, hanging mindlessly in the air.

Snake and Eagle rushed towards Alex who sagged against the wall, wincing as he took small, sharp breaths to avoid the stinging pain he felt when he breathed too long. Both of the men sat on either side of him trying to support his weight.

Snake lifted Alex's head very gently by his chin as he examined his neck. His eyes tightened as he looked at the red, slowly purpling, finger marks on Alex's pale skin.

"Those are going to bruise. Alex, do you think you can get up? Lying against the wall in that awkward position will only make the pain worse."

"Come on Cub" Eagle said softly as both he and Fox helped Alex lift himself up and walk towards the couch.

"Fox, put a hand behind his head-"

As gently as possible, Fox took the weight of Alex's head on his arm.

"Yes, that's it. Put him on that couch. Wait; let me arrange the cushions first-"

Soon, Alex was lying on the couch with all the three men surrounding him. Snake sat on his haunches as he instructed Alex, "Calm down. Breathe very slowly. Very, very slowly. Does it hurt a lot?"

Alex hesitated then shook his head. _I don't want to cause a fuss._

"Could you handle me touching your neck?"

Alex gulped but nodded. Slowly.

"Great. Get me water and some cotton balls. Go"

Eagle and Fox rushed to do his bidding.

As the door closed, Snake sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, his body radiating tension and concern, "I'm so sorry Cub. I should have realized sooner what kind of mood he was in."

Alex smiled reassuringly.

Snake shook his head, "Nah. You don't get it. Wolf always gets like this whenever he's stressed or angry, mostly about his fath-" Snake clamped his mouth shut very quickly and began again, "I should have recognized the signs and for that I'm really sorry. However, you have to know that Wolf is not that kind of person. I think he was under a lot of stress and just snapped. He's not a child abuser or anything. He was just…angry. I'm not telling you to like him or even forgive him but just don't… don't judge him too quickly, please. People tend to do that. Always." Here, the man smiled a sad smile.

"Anyways, you have full right and may I say, _responsibility,_ to beat the shit out of him after we've done with him," Snake tried to grin to lighten the atmosphere but failed miserably and ended up sighing. By that time, Fox and Eagle had come back and laid the items on the side table. Snake began to work while the two men hovered,

"Cub, you…you feeling okay?" Eagle asked hesitantly as his face flew across Alex's face to catch any signs of discomfort. Fox just looked extremely angry as he murmured, "that motherfucker" again and again under his breath.

Alex tried to smile confidently again but winced when he felt the cool feeling of water on his highly sensitive bruises.

"Okay, both of you. Get out. You're disturbing my patient."

Both men were about to protest when Snake threw them a glare and that quickly got them leaving after a few rebellious mutterings. Before Eagle shut the door however, he paused and looked towards Alex, "What was James whispering to you about anyway?"

Both Snake and Fox cursed quietly at Eagle's lack of tact as usual but tensed as they too wanted to hear about it and try to reason away Wolf's asshole-ness. Even if all they desired to do was break one of his bones or two.

Alex shrugged one of his shoulders (cringing at the pain) as if to say 'nothing important.'

Eagle's mouth twitched as if he knew Alex was trying o shrug it off but then said, "Hey, I'm really sorry about your neck. Don't you worry; it's going to get better soon." Then he left.

Fox stared after him before looking at Alex again and saying, "And don't you worry about Wolf either. I'll take care of him. Teach him the meaning of real pain after he gets up. Though it's not like he's not safe or anything. Yeah, he's an asshole. But he's not a child abuser. He'll apologize. You'll see."

Alex eyes glittered because it's been such a long time since he'd received such kindness._Damnit_

And then, catching the opportunity when it was still available, his stomach growled in the following silence.

Alex's cheeks heated up but it helped break the tension, causing Snake and Fox to crack up.

"Looks like someone's unhappy with the lack of attention it's getting. We'll have to rectify that. I'll make you some soup. Chicken maybe…" Fox's eyes glittered mischievously.

"Do you even know how to make soup?" Snake winked at Alex.

Fox opened his mouth to express his outrage at the doubt being laid on his abilities but then closed it, defeated, "I'm sure there's one of those 2 minute packets around here somewhere…or I don't know…can someone order soup? I've never heard of people having soup as take-out…" and then, deeply in thought, Fox, too left the room.

Snake rolled his eyes and said to Alex, "Do you know what my father's biggest fear is? He fears that someday down the line, having spent so much time with them, my idiot-shield is going to flicker out and I'm gonna turn into a moron just like the lotta' them and he'll have no choice but to disown me."

Alex snorted and then cringed.

"Hey, man sorry, that was stupid, just lie down, I promise not to joke, just…just don't speak. Do you think you can handle drinking water…we'll take it slow and steady…

* * *

><p>By the time gauze had been wrapped around Alex's neck and lumpy, chicken soup ("What a disgrace," Eagle sneered) forcibly pushed down his throat, it was nearly midnight. Usually, the boys could stay awake till early morning but after the events of the day, they were ready to drop. Alex was already asleep on the couch, the body's defense mechanism against the injuries. Nobody had the heart to wake him because since The Fight (as they called it in their heads), he had looked pretty despondent. Everybody needed a break and Cub deserved it more.<p>

"Damn, I need a drink," Fox muttered as he fell on the chair beside Alex.

"I'm hungry," Eagle moaned as he sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor.

"Drink the soup."

"That lumpy thing? No, thanks."

"It wasn't that bad…Cub liked it."

"He was choking it down."

"Oh, like you're a professional. Remember that….that rocky cake you made?"

"Pancakes. Those were pancakes."

"Ughh. And I need an aspirin," Snake sighed as he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

There was a lull in the conversation and the silence was very telling.

"I don't want to discuss it," Eagle muttered rebelliously as he stared at the coffee table.

"I really need a drink," Fox said as he sprang up and left the room quickly

"Do you think I want too? This is a side of Wolf which is really…."

"Ass-holey," Eagle finished for Snake.

"And uncomfortable" Fox said as he leaned on the doorway, a beer in hand.

"And just plain embarrassing."

"A little disgusting."

"Make that very. I mean, Cub is what? Thirteen?"

"Fourteen, actually. I kinda had a peek at his file."

"What the hell? He's trying to injure fourteen-year olds now?"

" Disdainful."

"Bad."

"_Very _bad."

"Jackass-sy."

"Jerk-y."

"Moron-y."

"Idiotic."

"Bad."

"You already said that. Don't cheat."

"Whatever."

"The point is…."Snake interrupted, "This is a side of Wolf which is very ughh and I don't know what the fuck is gonna happen next."

"Yeah, I mean, that was a really bad start to a relationship, if you can call it that."

"But you have to face it-"

Every men in the room sighed.

"He doesn't want the kid."

"Even if it's Cub"

"_Especially_ if it's Cub."

"Man, remember the time Cub kicked him off the-"

"I can't figure out why…," Snake said softly, "Cub is a really good kid."

"Yeah, I mean, he tried to signal to me that Wolf was still on the floor and somebody should pick him up," a disgusted look came over Eagle's face as he glanced at Wolf, who was still on the ground, freezing his butt off, "He can get frost-bite for all I care."

"And that is if we're lucky. His skin is as thick as King Kong's."

"James really knows how to be the bad guy," Fox murmured as he sipped on his beer.

"Heh. Remember when he punched the guy who spilled his coffee?"

"Turned out he was our new sergeant. Lol."

"Did you just say _Lol_?"

"Shut it, you guys" Snake murmured as he looked at Alex who had flinched in his sleep.

He sighed and got up, "I don't know but Wolf will have to get over it or..." and then a fierce expression came across his face and Fox and Eagle gulped.

"We don't wanna know."

"Okay, guys, I think we should go now. Wake Cub up, he can't stay here or he'll catch a cold."

"Are you sure? I mean…leaving him here with…" Fox looked really uncomfortable.

"He's an asshole but he's not gonna hit a child," Snake said dismissively.

"Well, actually, he_ did_ hit him. In fact, he tried to _kill_ him."

"He was drunk, he was angry and stressed because his father was bothering him again not to mention the fact that he had to take a kid in temporarily, he had just been bitten by a cat and Cub just happened to be standing in front of him. I'd blame the situation. I bet he would have punched me if I had been there."

"So, now what? We're just going to forgive him and try to blame it on the _situation?_" Eagle's voice was outraged.

"I didn't say that."

"You said that. Just now."

"I didn't say we had to forgive him."

"Then what do we do about him then?"

"Something which would not be very nice," Snake's voice was cold and icy and Eagle shivered involuntarily.

"F-fine."

"Now wake the kid up. He needs to sleep in a bed."

Yawning, Fox stumbled towards Alex and put a hand on his shoulder to gently shake him. However, before Fox could do so, Alex's eyes shot open and in a blink of an eye, he had Fox pinned beneath him with his hands twisted very uncomfortably behind his back.

All occupants in the room except Fox, who was squirming, froze.

"Hey, let me up! I was just trying to wake you, dammit!"

Alex, whose eyes were still blurry with sleep, blinked a few times, and then realized what he was doing. As quickly as he could, which was very quick, mind you, he was off of the other man, all the while apologizing profusely. Fox tried to wave him off but Alex was unstoppable.

"I'm really, really sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you-"

"Hey!" Fox shouted to stop Alex and when he succeeded, grinned, "I'm an army man, dude. You're hurting my ego. I'm fine. It's going to take much more than that to hurt me. That was awesome though."

"Oh, thanks," Alex said and smiled weakly. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

"Hey, man, that was so cool!" Eagle said, awestruck, as he gazed at Alex, "Just like in the movies!"

"Heh. It was nothing."

"No. It really was a very impressive-a very fast, defensive reflex. Well done," Snake said smoothly as he observed Alex._ Very quick. Almost subconscious. Looks like he's really worried about his safety._

"You know…I'm a target and all. Have to be careful," Alex's voice portrayed the perfect level of nonchalance.

"Oh, very well then. We'll be taking our leave. We thought you might want to sleep in your bed. How are the bruises?" Snake changed the topic abruptly, his eyes still calculating.

Alex's neck was very sensitive still but it didn't cause pain to breathe anymore, "Pretty good."

Snake nodded and handed Alex a slip of paper, "Good. Call me if it's starts hurting again or anything else for that matter. James is useless as of now."

Alex shifted uncomfortably on his feet, "Are you just going leave him there?"

"Yes," It was Eagle who responded and Alex felt an unpleasant shiver go up his spine when he heard the tone. The same, cold, disdainful tone he so vividly remembered. It made him feel a little sick.

"Okay."

"Don't worry Cub; he's not going to die from lying on the floor for one night. Trust me," Fox said as he shrugged on his jacket.

Alex nodded and waved, "Bye."

"See ya. I have to warn you but you're going to see a lot of us. My land lady is scary, Eagle has an annoying neighbor and Fox's place smells like beer and fish," Snake said as he picked up his car keys.

"Hey! It doesn't smell like fish!"

"Oh Please…"

Arguing, Snake and Fox left. Eagle made to follow them but then hesitated, and looked at Alex, "Hey kiddo, Wolf's safe. You don't have to worry about him turning on you again, okay?"

Eagle's voice was gentle and Alex swallowed the lump which had appeared in his throat and nodded quickly.

"Great. Now, I'll take my leave. Ciao. Remember to lock the door!" singing, Eagle left and shut the door behind him.

The resounding silence which followed was stifling and Alex wished the loud noise the three men had bought to come back.

_They were pretty damn loud._

Alex smiled but soon it wavered and fell off completely. Shaking his head, Alex made to go to his designated room but then stopped.

_I'm a little thirsty._

After quenching his thirst, Alex remembered that he had to lock the door. Then, he thought, he might as well clean up the den after himself. Decision made, Alex started picking up the wrappers and cups lying around, taking them to the kitchen. Then, he thought, the kitchen needed a wipe off-

_Oh Fuck it._

Laughing at his own pathetic self, Alex made his way to the den and gazed at the unconscious man who was the reason he was stalling. He felt resentment and anger well up inside him at the sight of his calm face and had to resist the urge to kick him. Sighing, Alex made his way towards the man.

_Might as well get it over with. I wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise._

With that thought set firmly in mind, Alex attempted to pick the man up, his muscles straining with exertion. He failed. Angered, he began to half push and half drag the man towards the sofa, grunting and huffing.

_I am strong, you jackass! I'll show you, you big, pathetic prat- _

With a final heave, he dropped Wolf on the sofa.

_Unbelievable. He's still sleeping._

Looking at his serene face, Alex couldn't help himself. He punched the man in the gut. Hard. Wolf just groaned and rolled on his back. Alex looked at the man in disbelief, then closed his eyes and got up, resisting the urge to go all out. With a final, indifferent look at the man, he walked towards his room.

_I don't think I like you much._

As he stepped out the doorway, he was assaulted with the words the man had spoken-

_It must have been very nice, having everything served to you on a silver platter. Everybody adoring you and loving you and licking your fuckin' boots-_

_Yeah right,_ Alex laughed harshly, ignoring the way his voice cracked in the middle.

* * *

><p><strong>THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS!THEY MADE MY WHOLE DAMN DAY! THANK YOU, seriously!<strong>

**Don't stop though,**

**Mikado's Ink**


	6. The Lonely

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider**

**Chapter 5  
><strong>

**The Lonely **

Alex was searching for his toothbrush in his small bag when realization struck

And it struck so hard, he barely contained a scream.

_What were you doing?_

As he jerked back and slumped on the ground, hands clutching his hair and eyes extremely wide, he tried to control his breathing as harsh thoughts assaulted him and backed him into a corner.

_What the hell were you thinking?_ Something inside him screamed at him and Alex realized.

He had _laughed._

He had _smiled._

He had not felt _nothing._

He'd been so caught up in the crazy events that had been enfolding that he'd totally forgotten.

_He'd forgotten!_

Even sitting on the floor,eyes wide with shock, Alex couldn't help laughing in absolute surprise.

_Because he never forgot_.

All of them had been so weird, so different that he had all but forgotten her! The longest time he'd spent since he'd felt no pain or emptiness! _And they'd just met!_

_How could you forget?_

He didn't know.

_He didn't know!_

Those guys were a kind of dangerous he had never expected them to be. It was because they were so fucking _different!_

It must be. It had to be that.

Because he refused to think otherwise. Since she'd left, he had almost gotten used to the constant, sick feeling in his stomach; had liked the fact that he couldn't feel anything anymore, an automatic defense, a way of survival by default! He couldn't be hurt anymore, adding to this the small twinge of satisfaction he got every time Mrs. Jones looked at him with fear.(_She couldn't fool him. He could tell)_

_And they had ruined EVERYTHNG!_

Because he'd _forgotten._

Forgotten how it felt like to laugh.

Forgotten how it felt like to smile.

_Forgotten how much he liked doing these things._

Cause hadn't Gregorovich told him that he liked his practicality and ability to see a way out? Liked his optimistic genius, going against impossible odds and still coming through kicking and screaming and alive?

_Alex, the optimistic loser._

Alex snorted in derision. He'd been thick then, he was thick now. Why couldn't he fucking understand that this was the best way out to save himself from all the hurt? Why couldn't he understand that it was stupid, _stupid_ to feel emotions, stupid to let himself get involved with people again, especially people he didn't like at all?

_Fucking STUPID._

He was surprised to find himself crying._ Alex, the sissy._

He'd seen their real sides for god's sake, knew how they were really like, knew how hard they found it to accept somebody! He knew those people. He fucking _knew_ them, even if they were strangers to him as much as anybody on the street. _What _was wrong with him?

_You're lonely.  
><em>

These men were strangers. He didn't even like them. He just…_missed _being talked to. He had forgotten what it had been like to be normal and how bloody _amazing _kindness was. These men weren't treating him like he was about to shatter into glass. It had been…sort of a break?

Right?

_Right?_

But this would end _now._

This was never happening again.

No way.

He wasn't about to get _attached._

Never again.

_Never again._

He'd been fine with it. Had resigned himself to his fate. Had known and accepted that he was _stuck _with Mi6 for good, that he was to be a sheep whose wool would be sheared till the time he could physically provide it and when he wasn't useful anymore, to be discarded or eaten and never heard from again. He'd tried to embed her leaving him as a lesson, complete with a moral of the story that should had have been his basic principle but he'd-

_Forgotten._

_Forgotten her._

Alex keeled over when emotional pain hit him with the force of a physical blow, making him gasp.

_She left you._

_She left you, Alex._

Alex started rocking his body back and forth as hot, salty tears slid down from his cheeks, dampening the collar of his shirt. Somewhere in the corner of his mind, he thought detachedly _it_'s_ starting_ and felt relieved.

The surrounding darkness had never seemed so oppressing, never so suffocating that Alex was choking on it and the shadows around him formed shapes of mangled monsters and demons, demons that fucking never left his side, monsters that she used to shoo away from the closet-

_I wish somebody from school could've seen the cold, bad Alex Rider now. Ha-ha. Ha-ha Ha-_

"-Ha," Alex finished brokenly, getting up and stumbling towards his bed, his vision blinded with tears.

_God, I'm pathetic._

Lying buried between his covers, it took a long time before the last of the hiccups dissolved into unnerving silence. The silent tears eventually dried and Alex's eyes, rimmed with red and swollen; reflected nothing but the small beam of moonlight streaming in; vacant and blank and cold like the weather outside.

_It's all thanks to Wolf. Without him and his enlightening speech, I may never have realized how I had started behaving so vulnerable again. So, Thank you Wolf.  
><em>

* * *

><p>The woman shook her bony hips at him, her deliciously tight, golden skirt shaking and shimmering in a way Wolf really, really liked.<p>

_Hmmm..._

She turned around and her blood red lips lifted into a seductive smile, her hands carding slowly through her beautiful, golden hair.

_Mmmmm...Wait._

Wait a minute.

Blonde.

Blonde!

Suddenly, somehow, Wolf became extremely irritated.

Shaking the inexplicable feeling off, he had just turned back to the girl when somebody threw a bucket of ice-cold snow at him and it was bloody freezing and where the hell was his unit when he needed them-

He turned his head around to tell the blondie to get a move on already and help him up when she dissolved into a lion's cub that snarled and yowled at him. Before he could blink, the stupid cub was upon him trying to taste his delicious human skin and Wolf yelped, yelling as it bit into his leg.

Real Wolf awakened, filled with disbelief at what kind of nonsensical dream he'd had. And why the fuck was it so goddamn cold? And why did his leg hurt? _And my jaw too for that matter…did I get into a brawl in a bar last night?_

Wolf looked around, realizing he was safely located in his apartment, on his couch with nothing to protect him from the cold but his body and his clothes. Growling at his own stupidity, he got up, a thing which was very hard to do as he couldn't feel his toes or fingers or anything for that matter when all the memories of last night came rushing back to him.

He groaned as he clutched his head tightly.

_Oh Fuck._ The first coherent thought that Wolf thought, amidst the throbbing pain in his head, was-

_Did I kill him? _

Stumbling from the couch, Wolf clumsily made his way to the kitchen, swayed a bit, stilled himself then grabbed a glass and filled it water all the while cursing fluently.

_Oh fuck no. Shit, am I going to get arrested or something? But I can't! I'm fucking SAS! Fuck, my head! And my fucking jaw hurts! And it feels like somebody bit into my leg. Oh, wait. Ah, yes. That damn cat._

He gulped down water noisily, noticing from the corner of his eyes; a bright, yellow note stuck on the refrigerator door.

It read in diligent handwriting-

Wolf,

You didn't kill him. He's fine.

P.S- You fucking piece of shit.

Snake

Wolf winced as he remembered first almost choking Eagle, getting knocked out mysteriously, getting up from his massive hangover in excruciating pain, getting extremely angry and almost killing Cub. He even remembered what he had said to him in his drunken, agony-filled rage.

Frowning intensely, Wolf set the glass down on the counter with a loud thud. After a pause, he sat down too, staring at nothing in particular.

The guilt was…unexpected. To say the least.

_Shit._

He ran a hand through his hair and slumped down lifelessly in his seat.

_Fuck. Fuck...I shouldn't have...I shouldn't have hit him._

He knew himself though.

He apparently wasn't to be trusted around kids. However, the bitter, hateful words that had left his mouth yesterday had been, loathe as he did to admit it because he didn't like this side of him, had been…sincere.

_To hate and hit children... guess I really am a cruel bastard who can't see beyond his own selfish needs._

_If anything, I should hate myself. Start painting my nails and eyes black and all that shit. And listening to suicidal songs or something. Freak Eagle the fuck out._

Chuckling emptily, he reached for his phone.

His punishment awaited him. And he would take it. Whatever it was.

Wolf had always known he wasn't like the next normal person, starving for affection, love and family. He had always been a little more cold, a little less emotional, a little less sensitive to others, not touchy-feely in the least and possessing an extremely short temper.

He remembered the time they'd found the body of the young girl, beaten and raped and completely unrecognizable. While Fox and Eagle had been busy puking their guts out nearby, Snake, his face wet with tears had looked at Wolf and a flicker of surprise had passed through his face, looking at Wolf's completely shuttered expression. They thought it hadn't affected him (It_ had, It had. I still get those fucking nightmares) _and maybe they were right. Maybe he was incapable of feeling any caring emotion for anything except for his friends and his job. Maybe he was fucking defective.

Moreover, he didn't care for kids. He never had. He'd always found their snotty, innocent expressions extremely irritating. However, as a teenager, he thought that was how all normal boys were supposed to think and had shrugged it off.

As an adult, well…he knew he was going to end up alone.

He had been 22, dressed in a suffocating black tuxedo, his mother, all pearls and diamonds, standing by his side. An argument had arisen, a rare thing as they hardly ever talked, and she'd turned her head towards him, her blue eyes flashing with pity and had said, in a sweet, poisonous voice, "Oh Wolf, how are you ever going to find somebody who would love you?"

_Bitch._

He had pretty much given up since then. He'd always been a quiet, distant and angry child but after that, he'd become quiet and distant and _cruel._ He remembered being a fucking nightmare.

But he hated this part in him, feared the capability he knew he had to become truly hateful and raging, to, in dumber words, succumb to his bad side.

He dialed Snake's number and put the cold metal to his ear. As the sound of ringing resounded in his head, he looked towards Alex's room and sighed.

Was he destined to become a child abuser, to hate and hate and hate more until he rotted from the inside out from all the frustration and resentment eating away on his soul? To be reduced to a pitiful creature with blackness in his heart, angry and lonely, loathing other people for finding happiness? He had been like that for most of his life now; he couldn't see it changing anytime soon.

His mother had been right all along.

A shaking hand came into view and covered his eyes.

_I'm sorry._

_I'm so sorry, kid._

* * *

><p>"You're up, asshole?"<p>

"Y-yeah."

"You're revolting, you know that right?"

"Pretty much yeah."

"You're ready?"

" I'm really looking forward to it, yeah."

"Don't get all smartass on me, fucker. You've officially lost your rights until I say you've earned them back."

"Right. Sorry."

"So, you jackass, you do know you almost killed all of us along with Alex didn't you?"

"Umm...yeah...sorry about that."

"Sorry is not going to cut it, asshole. You need to mean it. Anyways," Snake's voice turned businesslike, masking the glee he was feeling, "You know the rules, yes?"

Wolf wasn't fooled. Snake's tone had turned positively _giddy_. He cringed, "Yes. Unfortunately."

"Hey, the rules, the rules. No answering back until seven days are over."

"Sorry."

"You better me. We'll come over in the evening."

'O-okay."

"…"

"…"

"I don't know what happened to the guy I used to know. He had anger problems just like you but he used to know better. You're not him. He wouldn't have disappointed me like this."

"…"

"…."

"I don't like him much either."

* * *

><p>" Wow. He didn't put up a fight, like, <em>at all?<em>"

"No. I think he realizes…and this is his way of redemption I guess."

"Wow. Just wow. I can get back on him for all of those times he tossed me around…"

"He called me shorty once."

"…"

"…"

"All this time, Snake?"

"Yes. My memory is long. Is he going to _get it._"

"Hear, hear!"

"I am gong to show him the true meaning of pain."

"You sadist! I like, I like."

"…"

"…"

"Freak."

* * *

><p>"<em>I love you,<em> Matthew Anders."

"I know."

"You are seriously the awesomest shit ever."

"I know."

"I will hail this magnificent, sacred name until the end of time."

"If you must."

"I'm even ready to join that shitty Book Club!"

"You are? Really? Great! We are reading Mansfield Park this time, it's an amazing book, oh the intrigue-"

"On second thoughts-"

"Mansfield Park is a classic which will-"

"Great. I'd love to hang out with all your nerdy guys but sorry I…I have a date."

"What date?"

"Ma-Mary?"

"Who?"

"Mary M-Markers."

"Who?"

"She's a…a …a poet?"

"…"

"…"

"… We're meeting again this Friday. Buy a copy of Mansfield Park."

Snake hung up.

"Fuck You," Fox said to the dead dial tone.

* * *

><p>Wolf stood outside the room, his stare making holes into the door.<p>

_C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon you pansy. Knock on the door, come on, come on-  
><em>

He raised his white knuckles to rap them slightly against the door, stance bowed. When his hand was a millimeter away, he paused, gritting his teeth.

He had no idea how to apologize to people for choking them. Especially, a fourteen year old, smirky kid.

_I bet he hates you._

Wolf jerked back.

_Do you think he even wants your apology? He probably never wants to see your face ever again. He could have called the police. You were lucky._

Wolf's expression darkened and he started backtracking, away from the room where that brat slept.

_You have a gift, Wolf. A gift for making people hate you. _

Wolf turned and walked away, his hands fisted by his side. Picking up his coat hastily from the rack, he hesitated, quickly wrote a small note and ran away from the apartment and that goddamn kid and himself.

_Again._


	7. Not so sincerely, Wolf

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider**

**Chapter 6**

**Not so sincerely, Wolf**

"What?" Wolf exploded.

"S-sorry sir, maybe you can come back in a few days?"

"Days?" Wolf whispered weakly before dropping his head on the counter, the guy behind the counter jumping back in surprise.

"S-sir?"

Wolf looked up suddenly, "Don't you fucking understand, this is a crisis! I can't wait for _days_!"

The teenager managed to look at him oddly through his fear, "Maybe you c-could try the others?"

"No! You don't understand! I only want the ones with the frosted strawberry and banana icing!" Wolf managed to make it sound less stubborn and childish than a five-year old but just barely.

"I'm s-sorry sir; I can't d-do anything about it..."

"Whatever," Wolf muttered before he stomped out of the bakery, his mood sour.

Jimmy knew Wolf. Wolf didn't even need to say anything before Jimmy had his cupcakes, exactly four in number, in front of his table as he sat down on it. Now Jimmy was taking an off and that old man had hired this stupid loser, who couldn't even look him in the eye, botching up Wolf's mental balance by refusing him his cupcakes!

Wolf's pace speeded up as he pondered over the unfairness of the world.

_Whoa whoa buddy, why are you in such a hurry? Do you want to go back to the mess you left behind that much?_

The image of a skinny, blonde boy currently sleeping in _his_ apartment flashed in his mind and Wolf slowed down to an almost halt.

He wasn't in any hurry.

Cause if there was something Wolf was good at, it was running away.

Before the effin' _trying _emotions could grab hold of him again, Wolf crushed them down brutally and frantically started searching for something, _something_ that would distract him from _this._

Cause his brain was very, very unsafe right now.

_What's the rush? Take a breather, look around, indulge in some bird watching…_

A small smile appeared on Wolf's face as he appreciated the brilliance of the thought he'd just had.

Getting laid was _exactly _what he needed.

Cackling evilly in his mind, Wolf scanned the surrounding area for a potential lay. It was morning so the chances of finding a woman were slim but…

_Ah._

Brown hair, possibly blue eyes, few clothes, sitting outside, yawning, definitely unemployed, checking out guys discreetly but failing and seemingly free of the need for attachment and clinginess.

_Perfect._

Wolf grinned as he made his way over to the women, his mood getting better and better by the minute.

She saw him approaching and her eyes narrowed in an emotion that was definitely interest.

_Yeah, yeah I know I'm hot._

Right now, he could only ask her out for coffee. Afterwards, he could slip in the name of the new night club that had just opened downtown, she'll coo and caw and say she'll go, they'll meet-up, dance and drink for a few hours, then maybe…

"Hi."

"Hi," she fluttered her eyelashes at him and Wolf grinned internally.

"May I sit here with you?"

"Oh, of course!"

"Thanks," Wolf sat down and glanced at her, "Nice day isn't it?" The sky in fact was a dull gray color and the weather was clammy and oppressive.

"Oh yes!" the women replied eagerly.

"I'm James. Nice to meet you." Girls were a sucker for polite, gentlemanly guys.

_I mean, look at Snake._

"Lily."

"That's quite a pretty name you got there." He had used this line for god knows how many times. Point was, it never failed.

Lily blushed slightly and looked at Wolf from under her eyelashes, "Thanks."

The whole shy, innocent persona the girl was trying to portray effectively failed when she bent forward and gave Wolf a considerably nice view of her cleavage.

A view Wolf appreciated heartily.

Seemed like she was only interested in what he was interested in…

Skip the coffee?

* * *

><p>Alex stared blankly at the presence behind the door, knowing very well who it was.<p>

Alex wanted the presence to go away and leave him alone.

The presence did just that.

Alex was relieved. He was not interested in Wolf's insincere apology. He was not interested in any kind of apology, period. For all he knew, Wolf had been standing there to finish what he'd started, putting him out of his misery.

When he heard the door slam shut, he relaxed under his covers and slowly made to get out, wincing slightly as his neck, sore from all the abuse Wolf had put it through, screamed profanities at him.

_Fuck…_

Moving his head as less as possible, Alex reached his duffel bag, shuffled around until he found his toothbrush, a change of clothes (he hardly had any) and then walked toward the bathroom.

Hopefully, warm water would bring relief to his neck.

Closing the door behind him gently, Alex turned to face the exceptionally clean bathroom when he was assaulted by an image of a life sized, blonde, extremely skinny boy, jumping a little in surprise. Looking closely, he realized that the boy was he, himself.

He stepped forward and stared at his reflection in the extremely large mirror. His hair was dull. His skin looked unhealthily pale, hanging on his bones like it didn't belong there and the shadows under his eyes were so dark, they could pass for bruises. He passed his eyes over his pink, parched lips and blinked rapidly when he saw his neck.

Because there was no other word for it but ugly.

Dark purplish-blue, deep-set bruises splayed around his neck, darker in some areas and yellowish-red in some, shaped like the fingers of rough, large hands, pretty colorful but not pretty at all.

He looked like shit.

He went closer, looking at himself and blinked slowly. Once. Twice.

_Does it matter?_

_Does it matter how I look?_

Cause it didn't seem to matter. At all.

Shrugging, Alex turned to the shower.

* * *

><p>Stepping out of the shower, feeling appreciatively clean, wearing a clean white shirt and his old, tattered denim jeans, Alex turned towards the kitchen, his movement automatic, emotionless.<p>

As he reached the kitchen, he hesitated but scoffed and barged on.

_He basically told me to fuck off and mind my own business. So I'm going to mind my own business._

As he searched for the ingredients and utensils required to make a cheese omelet, he once again wondered at the neat, clean and orderly way everything was setup. It was a little weird, frankly…

He went about making his breakfast, the repetitive motion calming and soothing. Once he was finished, he slid it down on a plate and sat down, ready to eat, the aroma rolling around the room.

However, when he put it into his mouth, he cringed and quickly forced it down with water, his tongue and mouth muscles unresponsive to the rich taste of the omelet.

_All it tastes like is rubber…or…or pencil shavings…_

He pushed the plate away, mouth crooking up in an empty, rueful smile.

_Looks like I'm not eating anything anytime soon…_

His stomach rumbled in agreement, the smell of the previously delicious smelling omelet suddenly nauseating.

Crinkling his nose slightly, he got up and placed his plate near the sink, his gaze wandering around the apartment.

He observed the surroundings carefully again, brows furrowing when he again got the feeling like something was off, something which stood out…

His expression cleared as it struck him, his eyes whipping around rapidly.

_No pictures._

Wolf's apartment was clean, elegant and pretty but there was not a single picture or photo of his team members, family or _anybody_. It was kind of cold, kind of like Wolf.

As he pondered this, the bell rung.

Alex froze for a second before collecting himself, walking towards the front door. Most likely it was K-unit, whom he could avoid very easily…

He opened the door and his eyes landed on a women who was wearing a little too much of makeup, her apparel signifying that she meant business and what struck Alex was that she looked _too _clean.

Her perfectly painted lips were pulled back into a smile but the smile was immediately dropped when she saw him, her expression turning cold and suspicious.

"Who are you? Where is James?" She rapidly fired at him, her eyes scrunched in confusion.

"Ma'am, I think since _you _are here, you should introduce yourself first." Alex managed to say, amidst his surprise.

"Yeah, right. Do I look like I'm that stupid? For all I know, you could be robbing James," She scoffed then narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you?"

"Uh…no," Alex couldn't decide. _Is she his girlfriend?_

"Are you uh…J-James's girlfriend?"

_Shit, saying his name is weird…_

The women changed suddenly, blushing and stuttering slightly, "Oh goodness…I didn't think... I mean, possibly…I mean, do I look like I'm his girlfriend?"

She beamed at him, as if he'd said the nicest thing on earth.

Alex didn't know what to do. She apparently wasn't.

"Uh, I don't know…you could be," Alex ended politely and she practically glowed. But then her expression turned back to the cold, business-like one, "What are you doing in James's apartment, dirty kid?"

_Dirty?_

Before he could reply, two men rounded the corner and stopped dead when they saw the woman and Alex.

"C-Carrie?"

The woman looked at them and her expression, if possible, turned colder.

"Neil", she snapped, "Ben."

Alex looked between the two parties. This woman was not a stranger then…

"Whoa!" Eagle said, "You were supposed to come today?"

"Yes," she said and then looked at Alex, "I rang the bell and this dirty kid answered the door."

Both men stared at Alex and Fox started laughing.

"What's wrong?" Carrie said impatiently, "Do you know this dirty kid?"

_Why am I dirty?_

"Yes, we know this dirty kid," Eagle grinned slightly, shooting a teasing glance at Alex before his eyes narrowed on his neck, and he said hurriedly, voice a little colder then before, "Why don't we talk inside?"

Carrie pondered this before giving a short, stiff nod.

Alex winced as she shoved him roughly to go inside.

Eagle frowned after Carrie before looking at Alex in concern, "Are you alright Alex?"

Alex smiled and said, "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Eagle and Fox, who had stopped laughing ages ago, paused and stared at Alex weirdly.

Eagle frowned and asked again" Alex…..are you alright?"

Alex smiled again, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Dude, you're freaking me out," Fox stated bluntly as both men continued to stare at him.

Hesitantly, Fox step forward and scrutinized his face, "Alex…are you seriously okay? You don't look well…do you need to lie down?"

"Yeah, you look like shit man," Eagle said, a hint of worry in his voice.

All Alex felt was emptiness.

_I was ready for you guys._

"I am perfectly fine, thank you for asking. Why don't we go in, Carrie must be waiting for us," that said, Alex turned and went inside, leaving two very surprised guys behind.

"What the fuck?" Eagle said softly

"My thoughts exactly" Fox nodded.

Exchanging glances, both men followed Alex inside.

* * *

><p>Carrie was standing inside, hands on her hips, eyes examining everything with an eagle eye, "Oh my goodness, when I left this place last week, it was so clean and now look! It's so dirty! Are you men wild animals?"<p>

Alex looked around in confusion. As far as he could see, it looked very much clean…

"Yeah, well, we're not all neat freaks like you," Eagle said as he came inside, rolling his eyes.

Carrie glared at Eagle before snapping her gaze to Alex, "Now tell me, who on earth are you?" Something struck her and she asked, "Where is James?"

"Yeah, where is Wolf?" Fox inquired, "The reason I would have heartily enjoyed this visit."

Eagle nodded, cracking his muscles and grinning manically.

Carrie and Alex looked at them in confusion before Alex shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Wolf didn't tell me where he was going. He left before I woke up."

Now all three of them were staring at Alex.

"What's wrong with this dirty kid?" Carrie asked, nose wrinkled, "He's creepy."

"You have no idea." Fox said under his breath.

"Who is he?" Carrie asked again, "What is he doing in James's apartment?"

Fox sighed and glanced at Alex before saying," Did Wolf make you aware of the current situation?"

Carrie wrinkled her nose again, "What situation? And don't call him Wolf; it really does make him sound like a wild animal."

Fox rolled his eyes before Eagle said bluntly, "_Alex_ is going to stay with _Wolf _for some time due to certain circumstances that we can't tell you about."

Alex stood next to them, extremely quiet, gaze settled on nothing in particular.

"What?" Carrie thundered, expression shocked and angered, "Are you telling me that Wolf just basically took in a kid from the streets to _live with him_?"

"Watch your mouth," Fox said coldly.

"He's not from the streets," Eagle added, his voice as cold as Fox.

Alex said nothing.

Eagle again shot a look at Alex, brows furrowed before he turned to Carrie, "Anyway, don't you have some cleaning to do, _maid_?"

Carrie turned red as a tomato in anger and burst out, "How dare you! How _dare you_? A maid!" she sputtered incoherently, seemingly lost for words, "If I ever…I'm not going to let this go, you…you cretins!"

With that said, she stormed of, fumes of her anger trailing behind.

Fox and Eagle looked immensely amused.

"_Cretins?"_ Fox turned to Eagle, his expression incredulous.

"I know," Eagle grinned.

"Umm…is it safe to let her go around Wolf's house, that angry?" Alex asked hesitantly.

"Oh, don't be fooled by her. She really is kind of like a maid. She cleans Wolf's apartment except for his room, which he locks. And she won't dare spoil anything that belongs to _precious James._" Eagle explained, mimicking Carrie at the end.

There were so many things that didn't make sense to Alex.

_Maid? How can Wolf afford a maid? Why does he lock his room? Why does she behave like that? Why doesn't she seem to like anybody except Wolf?_

"She seems…seems…very taken with Wolf," Alex voiced out carefully.

Both Fox and Eagle snorted.

"You're telling me," Fox said, "She's practically worships him, and I have no idea why. He is quite gifted in the looks department that bastard," Fox trailed of, grumbling to himself.

Alex decided to go ahead with the main question bothering him, "How does Wolf afford a maid?"

Both Fox and Wolf froze for the minutest second, an action not missed by Alex at all, before they relaxed and Eagle said, "Heh… I don't know, maybe you should ask Wolf?"

They seemed to know but were unwilling to divulge information. Alex filed away their reaction for later consideration and decided to make his escape.

_I can't stay near them anymore. I can't take any chances._

"I should go, I've got things scattered around in my room, Carrie may not like that" Alex said and then politely nodded to both of them before leaving quickly, not giving the others the time to reply or react.

"Something's wrong," Eagle said worriedly.

Both men were absolutely bewildered with this attitude of Alex's.

"Did Wolf…." Fox didn't finish the unpleasant question bothering both of them._ Did Wolf say something to him?_

"I don't think so…Alex said he was gone before he woke up," Eagle said, trying to convince himself.

_When did Wolf become so…unsafe?_

"Where is that bastard anyway? He knows the rules," Eagle said softly.

* * *

><p>"It's so early, are you sure?" Wolf grinned down at Lily as she pushed him against a wall.<p>

"Who the fuck cares?" Lily replied as she crashed his lips against his.


	8. The Coward

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider**

**Chapter 7**

**Coward**

"Wow, that was quick," A scarily familiar voice interrupted Wolf and Lily _just _as they were getting to the good part.

Wolf froze as Lily sprang away from him, blushing. Wolf turned towards the figure standing in front of them with robotic movement.

5 feet 8 inches tall white man, freckles, black hair, tiny ears and spectacles- _oh god no-_shoulders arranged in a mocking gesture-

_GTFO!_

Without conscious thought, Wolf turned around; tail tucked between his legs and started running as fast as he could. He dimly registered the surprise on Lily's and Snake's faces before he was out of there in panic-induced dementia, scattering squealing, innocent bystanders left and right.

"Oh no, you don't," he heard Snake yelling before registering, to his horror, the sound of running footsteps _following him._

He stifled the urge to cry and shouted out in desperation, "Gah! I'm sorry! Fuck, stop following me!"

"Stop running!" Snake shouted behind him, "You fucking coward!"

_You fucking coward._

Wolf stopped so suddenly that Snake crashed into his back, got reflected from the hard surface and fell-_BAM! -_ on the pavement. An astonished mother and child watched from the sidelines as Snake lifted himself up, cussing like a sailor. The outraged mother hurriedly covered her son's ears, threw Snake an extremely dirty look and marched away, nose in the air.

"Yeah, whatever, you hussy," Snake muttered, glaring at her retreating back before focusing his deadly intent on Wolf's, who remained peculiarly still.

Snake, however, was not in a generous mood. He promptly kicked Wolf's knee who fell on the pavement, his language as colorful as Snake's earlier rant.

"What the fuck?" Wolf hissed.

"NO! You, what the fuck?" Snake hissed right back as he grabbed Wolf roughly and tried to force him up. When his strength failed, he grew more irritated and growled, "Get up."

Slowly, Wolf pushed himself away from the ground and turned to face Snake warily, his expression one of extreme distrust and slight fear. Snake's was cold. Wolf winced.

"I just can't believe you," Snake said, the words of an angry mother but the tone of an assassin, "I can't believe you. Why the fuck did you try to run away? Are you that fucking stupid?"

Wolf shoulders tensed defensively as his expression grew shuttered. He didn't say anything. Passer byes glanced nervously at both of them, giving them a wide berth. Neither of the men noticed.

Snake raised an eyebrow, "What? Can't think of anything? Didn't think you could, you coward."

_Coward. Coward. Coward._

Wolf tensed further. Eyeing Snake, he said dispassionately, "I'm sorry. That wouldn't happen again."

Snake's cold mask cracked and a little bit of his anger slipped out. He spat, "Don't apologize to _me._ Apologize to Alex."

Wolf's face got wiped of all emotion after Alex's name was mentioned. Snake didn't miss the slight drooping of the shoulders though.

"I-"

"No, I don't want to hear it. You've already done enough damage. Just-just go home." Snake seemed to be struggling with restraining his anger.

Wolf stared at Snake for a few seconds before giving a slight nod. He turned around and started walking in the direction of his apartment building, his movement tense and awkward.

"What the hell is happening to him?" Snake muttered to himself before turning away and walking in the opposite direction. He had some stuff to do. Besides, Eagle and Fox would be there.

He froze when he realized what he was thinking.

_When did Wolf become so unsafe?_

* * *

><p>Carrie glared at Ben and Neil.<p>

This did not seem to affect the two men at all as they continued lounging lazily on the couch, talking quietly to each other. She scrubbed the kitchen counter harder, glaring at it instead.

She hated them. She absolutely hated them.

If it hadn't been for them and that other bastard Anders, James would still be the amazing man she remembered from six years ago. Now, now he hardly talked to her!

She _hated _them. These men who had led James away from his rightful path.

She scrubbed harder.

James should be grateful that she was doing such a humiliating, menial job so that he wouldn't have to worry about cleaning his house! She wouldn't do this for anybody else in the world even if they offered her a million pounds! She had enough money coming in from being a secretary to one of the world's most fashionable women!

But she loved him.

Her expression grew softer, the vicious actions of her hand slowing down.

Yes. She loved him. In spite of his defection, his stupid job, his stupid friends, his skanky hook ups and his indifference to her, she still loved him. Would continue doing so. Probably until the day she died.

And the only way she could continue seeing the man that she had loved since she had first seen him was to become his maid, as degrading as it was. In fact, she remembered being desperate, tears streaming down her face on the thought of never seeing James again, begging Mrs. San Luca to appoint her.

_Are you sure, Carrie?_

_Yes, Mrs. San Luca, I'm completely sure! Please, please, please!_

_But you do know that this job would ask more of you, then say, cleaning?_

She would do anything, _anything_, to stay by James's side. Even become his maid. She also kept hoping that that day would come when he realized how important she was to him and that all his job and his friends offered him was anger, regret and frivolity.

She _knew _where his destiny lay. And she hoped it would only be a matter of time.

Her hands had completely stilled as she gazed thoughtfully at the surface of the counter. Her thin, bony fingers gently caressed the edges, gleaming due to her effort.

She had chosen this marble. She had chosen the wood. She had designed everything in Wolf's apartment. She had wanted to make it better, make it fit for a man like James, had already hated the apartment he had bought but he had refused, looked her in the eye and said, "No. You're to stick to a budget."

"Budget? But Mrs. San Luca told me there was no-"

"Look," he had said coldly, "My parents are rich. I'm not. They're not going to live here. I am. So I would appreciate it if you can make something that wouldn't be a robber's paradise."

And true to her promise, she had. At least, she had tried her best. She had put her heart and soul into it and had thought it had come out superbly.

James's had said, "It'll do." His eyes had remained cold.

She still loved him.

She sighed quietly, pushing back the red, glossy length of her hair that had taken hours to perfect. She'd wanted to look good for James. But he wasn't here.

Instead, she was stuck with Wild Animal Number 1 and Wild Animal Number 2. Oh, and that dirty kid.

Her mind flashed to the anorexic blonde kid, dull face and dull voice and everything and couldn't help scrunching her nose in disdain.

Why the hell would James take in a kid? She thought he hated them.

Mrs. San Luca would have to hear about this.

* * *

><p>Wolf stood in front of his apartment.<p>

He didn't want to go in.

He didn't want to face Eagle and Fox.

He didn't want to see the kid. Didn't want to see what _he had _done to the kid's face.

_Coward. Coward. Coward._

He went in.

* * *

><p>Alex closed the door behind him, took a deep breath and smiled.<p>

It was fine.

He was okay.

It was all going to be okay.

_Just keep telling yourself that._

* * *

><p>Wolf walked slowly, rounding the corner and coming face to face with two men he was sure hated nothing more in the world than him right now. They were standing, facing him, having heard his approach.<p>

Their expressions were not nice.

Wolf grimaced. He had hoped that his team mates would never look at him like that.

Fuck, he hated it. But he also deserved it.

Remembering the kid, he glanced around in panic.

"He's not here. He went to his room. Actually, he didn't seem to be all that peachy. You wouldn't have a hand in that, would you?" Eagle's voice was threatening.

Ignoring the relief he felt at not being confronted by Cub right now, he said slowly, "I was gone before h-he woke up. I haven't seen him since...since-"

"You almost killed him?" Fox added generously.

Wolf sighed, defeated, "Yes, I-"

"Save it," Eagle cut in angrily, "For someone who actually gives a fuck."

"Or someone who deserves it," Fox said, eyes narrowed in his direction, telling him indirectly who he thought was the one he should apologize to.

"James!"

_Oh fuck no._

Wolf glanced to the left to see Carrie coming into the den, beaming up at him.

_At least someone's happy to see me._

"Carrie," even to him, he sounded exhausted, "I didn't know you were coming today."

"I didn't know either! I had free time on my hands and thought I might as well come to meet you!"

"That's…nice."

Carrie practically glowed up at him. He winced at the pearly brightness of her adoring smile.

A scoff reminded him that his life was still in danger, threatened by two of his best friend who were currently glaring at him in disgust.

Wolf wanted nothing more than to scream out loud.

"I'm back," another voice announced from behind him, the sound of the door opening reaching his ears. He grimaced again.

_Perfect._

Snake brushed past Wolf without sparing him a glance but stopped at the sight of Carrie.

"Carrie," he greeted, slightly surprised.

"Matthew," Carrie greeted back, bright smile flickering.

Snake smiled frostily back, "I thought I told you to call me Matt."

"I prefer Matthew."

Snake looked at her for a few seconds, the smile plastered to his face as fake as Eagle's Facebook Profile. Turning to look at the room, he said, "Guess what?"

"What?" Eagle, Fox said eagerly, eying Wolf hungrily. Wolf knew exactly what this was about.

_It's punishment time, bitch _seemed to resound silently in all corners of the spacious yet stifling room. Wolf tried to shudder discreetly.

Snake grinned, "It's been a long time since we've got some hands-on action, hasn't it boys?" Wolf could swear on his life that Snake's eyes were glinting when he looked at him.

"What've you planned?" Fox grinned back.

"Some good ol' _threatening_ paintball."

There was the sound of cheering and "Alright!" and "Not bad, Snake. Not bad at all!"

_Great. Wonderful._

"Jamie dear?," Snake cooed at Wolf who closed his eyes.

"Yes?" Wolf asked in a defeated tone.

"Please don't wear a shirt. We all want to admire your perfect, perfect muscles out in the open."

"Yes," Wolf's eyes remained closed, his mind already trying to calculate how much pain he was going to be levied with. Carrie meanwhile, stiffened and gaped at Snake before narrowing her eyes, suddenly eying him in a new light. Eagle and Fox snickered like playground bullies.

"Alex is going to luuuuuuuurve it!" Eagle sang as he practically leaped to the boy's designated room.

Wolf showed as much movement as one expected from a block of ice.

Snake smiled so wide, it seemed to hurt. With that unnatural grin still on his face, he turned, once more to Wolf," You fucking bastard."

Wolf's face remained unreadable and Fox tensed, sensing the atmosphere. Carrie glance between them, confused and outraged.

"Hey! You can't-"

"_You fucking bastard!" _Snake's grin had fallen off completely. His expression a storm of singing, burning resentment and his eyes as harsh as the icy, cold wind outside.

Silence descended into the room and pressed down on each one of them until they struggled to breathe.

"How could you?" Snake whispered, "He's a_ kid."_

_Just a kid, dammit._

_Just a kid._

* * *

><p>"How did it go by the way?" Alan Blunt asked suddenly, his eyes focused on the document lying on his desk.<p>

"Good," Mrs. Jones replied.

"Good," Alan repeated delicately, shuffling the papers as he reached for his pen, "That's good."

_Just a kid._


End file.
